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| Suit Blames Officials in N.M. Jail Overdose |
| By Albuquerque Journal |
| Published: 07/14/2003 |
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The adoptive parents of a former Santa Fe County jail inmate who died there at age 19 of a drug overdose in July, 2001, have sued the jail's former private manager, the county and others associated with the facility. Santiago Martinez of Chimayó was admitted to the jail around September 2000, on charges of heroin trafficking, drug paraphernalia possession and other charges, according to the suit. Martinez 'had a very serious substance abuse problem or substance abuse addiction' at the time he was placed in the jail's custody, the suit says. The lawsuit alleges that Cornell Corrections, Santa Fe County and former County Sheriff Ray Sisneros, among other defendants, did not conduct appropriate medical screening for Martinez to identify and treat Martinez's drug problem. All of the defendants contacted by the Journal, including a spokesman at Cornell Corrections, Santa Fe County Attorney Stephen Ross and Sisneros, declined to comment Tuesday. He said that under terms of a county contract with former jail manager Cornell, the firm agreed to handle tort claims filed against the jail while under its management. The county chose not to renew its contract with Cornell when it expired in 2001. The jail is now managed by another private contractor - Management & Training Corp. At the time of Martinez's death, he was in the administrative segregation unit, which 'is supposed to be the most secure and protected environment' in the jail, the suit states. Inmates there are confined to their cells 23 hours a day, and are supposed to be monitored and scrutinized for possession of controlled substances, according to the suit. The defendants named in the suit, 'allowed the administrative segregation unit at the detention center to be understaffed for its functions and its responsibilities.' Shortly after Martinez's death, former Sheriff Sisneros said in an interview that investigators believed Martinez was given heroin and a syringe while he was out of jail for a court appearance before his death. The suit alleges Martinez died of a morphine overdose. Martinez had a court appearance the day before he was found dead, according to the suit. The suit says Martinez was not properly searched before re-entering the jail after the court hearing. The lawsuit alleges Cornell, the county and Sisneros 'allowed a dangerous, and unsafe and unhealthy condition to exist on the physical premises' of the jail. |
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