Inmate Victorine Grice (Full Name: Victorine Galvan Grice) Died In Custody While Staying At Douglas County Jail
CASTLE ROCK, COLORADO (October 13, 2023) - An inmate identified as Victorine Grice has tragically died in custody after being found unresponsive at Douglas County Jail.
Douglas County officials are saying that the incident took place around 6:30 a.m. in the morning. Correctional officers noticed that Victorine Grice was unresponsive inside of her jail cell.
She was in the cell by herself at the time of the incident. Medical staff entered the cell and began life-saving measures.
Despite those efforts, Victorine Grice was later pronounced dead. A full investigation into the incident remains ongoing at this time.
Liability For Douglas County Inmate Deaths
Jails are supposed to be places of rehabilitation, but far too often they turn into places where inmates are mistreated and neglected. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, “In recent surveys completed by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 19% of State prison inmates, 10% of Federal inmates, and 16% of those in local jails or on active probation told interviewers they had been physically or sexually abused before their current sentence.” There are many ways that an inmate may have been mistreated which contributed to their death.
- Inmates may not get the medication that they needed.
- Jails may neglect the mental healthcare needs of an inmate.
- Jails may have failed to treat an inmate’s chronic health conditions.
- Jails may have failed to protect an inmate from being attacked by another inmate.
Jails are forbidden from forcing prisoners to endure cruel and unusual punishment. This includes depriving inmates of care for their serious medical needs. When jail officials knew (or should have known) that an inmate was in need of medical treatment and failed to act, this could form the basis of a constitutional claim. For example, many jails fail to properly help inmates who are going through an overdose. It is crucial that evidence is properly preserved after any inmate death.
- All medical records relating to the death should be preserved.
- The circumstances leading up to the death should be known.
- Body camera footage from all officers involved should be reviewed.
- A thorough investigation should be conducted.
Jail deaths are often the result of multiple things going wrong within a jail. This typically starts with overcrowding. Jails are simply not able to properly care for every inmate when the jail’s resources are stretched beyond capacity. The family of any person that died in-custody may be able to seek some measure of justice through a civil claim. A civil rights attorney can examine all of the unique facts of your case free of cost and get to the bottom of what happened.
Investigating Douglas County Jail Inmate Deaths
We at Scott H. Palmer, P.C. extend our deepest condolences to the family of Victorine Grice. There are so many questions that still need to be answered. It is our sincere hope that greater oversight at this jail will help prevent similar tragedies and lead to lasting reform.
Have you or someone that you care about been harmed while staying at the Douglas County Jail? There are a number of laws designed to protect your rights. Our team of civil rights advocates are committed to helping inmates and defending the constitution. Whether you just have legal questions or need a free, independent investigation into any incident we are here for you. You can reach out to us anytime at 214-987-4100.