MARTINEZ — A woman who fashioned a noose out of a jacket and died of suicide inside a jail bathroom had all but announced her intentions during an intake interview, according to a recent federal lawsuit that claims medical staff were liable for not recommending she be placed in a safety cell.
The lawsuit, filed last month by relatives of 36-year-old Maria Barraza, names Contra Costa Health Services and the Contra Costa County sheriff as defendants, and alleges that hours before Barraza died of suicide in the jail, she tearfully told a nurse that she had suicidal thoughts and was thinking of a plan to carry them out.
The lawsuit is still in its early stages and attorneys for the county haven’t yet responded in court. Both the sheriff and Contra Costa Health Services declined to comment on the lawsuit. A sheriff spokesman referred questions to Contra Costa Health Services, and a CCHS spokesman said the agency’s attorneys advised against commenting on pending litigation.
Barraza died around 3:30 a.m. April 13, 2019, hours after being booked at the Martinez Detention Facility on a domestic violence arrest. At a coroner’s inquest hearing, police maintained she showed no signs of suicide but made several failed attempts to reach a bail-bond company before her death.
But the lawsuit, filed through the law offices of civil attorney Stanley Goff, alleges that a nurse determined Barraza had a “very high” risk of suicide, and that Barraza was crying during an intake interview when she admitted to having suicidal thoughts. The lawsuit names the nurse, Mira Yune, and mental health specialist Mario Bandes as defendants.
“Incredibly, despite Maria’s obviously high suicide risk, Bandes placed Maria in a general population holding cell in the intake area,” the civil complaint says. “Neither Yune nor Bandes felt it necessary to house Maria in a safety cell, a sobering cell, or even an observation room, all of which are available in the intake area. Instead, Maria was placed in a holding cell with access to a bathroom that could be fully closed, concealing the activity of anyone inside the bathroom to CCHS staff.”
Barraza was arrested on April 12, 2019, on suspicion of domestic violence. Police testified at the inquest hearing that she called her boyfriend seven times from jail, but the calls didn’t go through because he didn’t have a prepaid account set up. She also called bail-bonds services several times but was told each time that the companies didn’t have her information yet and wouldn’t be able to bail her out for hours.
Shortly thereafter, a deputy discovered Barraza hanging from the jail bathroom, showing no signs of life. He tried to cut her down but said the improvised noose was “extremely tight.” Medical personnel eventually used a specialized tool to cut her down.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. It is the second lawsuit filed last month that alleges jail medical care is negligent. Two days before the Barraza lawsuit was filed, an inmate named Joel Tolbert filed a handwritten lawsuit alleging he has been denied adequate medical care for the past 20 months, while he has been in the jail facing kidnapping and torture charges.
If you or someone you know is struggling with feelings of depression or suicidal thoughts, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline offers free, round-the-clock support, information and resources for help. Reach the lifeline at 800-273-8255.
Source: www.mercurynews.com