NC finds no deficiencies after death of woman detained at Durham County Jail
A routine state inspection conducted after an in-custody death found no deficiencies at the Durham County jail in connection with an inmate who died this month, the Durham County Sheriff’s Office said Friday.
Brittany Kittrell, 34, died after being taken to the hospital for medical treatment Jan. 19, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release that did not describe her symptoms or injuries. The medical examiner will determine her cause of death.
The state inspection report stated that she was found in distress at the jail at 5:42 p.m. and died at the hospital at 7:49 p.m.
Kittrell was arrested Jan. 15, and charged with breaking and entering to terrorize or injure, robbery with a dangerous weapon, common law false imprisonment and felony possession of cocaine, The News & Observer previously reported.
Because Kittrell had been arrested just four days before she died, she was in a quarantine area at the jail and would have remained there for a total of 14 days before being transferred to a pod of cells, Sheriff’s Office spokesperson AnnMarie Breen told The N&O.
Kittrell was being held in the jail on $5,000 bail.
The state inspection was done by phone and email because of COVID-19 travel restrictions, according to the Jan. 22 report by Chief Jail Inspector Chris Wood. The report recommended no further action.
11th death at Durham County jail
Kittrell was the 11th death at the downtown Durham County Detention Center since 2011 and the first in-custody death since August 2018.
The last person who died at the jail was Jean McGirt, 56, who died Aug. 25, 2018. She died in a medical unit with detention officers and nurses often present, but records from a state investigation showed a lack of documented supervision in the area of the jail she was in, The N&O previously reported.
Of the 11 jail deaths, four were suicides occurring in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2017, the Sheriff’s Office said Jan. 29. Four deaths were connected to long-time drug addiction, and the rest involved chronic health issues.
“Unfortunately, many of the detainees we care for have untreated chronic health issues due to a lack of health insurance, access to medical care, or are caught in the cycle of addiction,” Sheriff Clarence Birkhead said in the release.
In recent years, the jail has increased drug treatment at the jail, made more than $1 million in physical changes to prevent suicide and added a 24-hour, mental health treatment program, Birkhead said.
On Monday, the Durham County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to vote on the construction of five padded cells at the jail to enhance safety for people experiencing mental health crises, according to the agenda for the meeting.
This story was originally published January 20, 2021 at 2:34 PM.