The State : Sheriff Cleared in Jail Beatings

Sheriff John Duffy and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department were cleared of criminal wrongdoing in an FBI investigation of 70 cases of alleged civil rights violations stemming from several beatings and deaths suffered by inmates while incarcerated in the county jails. However, U.S. Atty. William Braniff said that his office and FBI investigators are still reviewing two cases to determine if criminal prosecution of deputies or other jail personnel is warranted. FBI agents began the investigation in May after complaints from alleged victims and critics who charged that deputies at the jails were beating prisoners, in some cases leading to the deaths of inmates. The announcement by Braniff that no deputies or jail personnel were to be prosecuted for any of the beatings or deaths drew complaints from critics of the department. Roberto Martinez, co-chairman of the Coalition for Law and Justice, called the investigation results “shocking.”