Los Angeles County agrees to federal oversight of jail system
The Los Angeles County jail system will submit to federal oversight as a result of a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department announced Wednesday.
The agreement with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s office follows a federal report finding a spike in jail suicides at county jails, from four in 2012 to 10 in 2013, the Los Angeles Times reports. The agreement requires changes in the evaluation and handling of mentally ill inmates, including the adoption of procedures to make sure the inmates have access to medication and counseling after release.
The agreement also calls for changes to reduce the use of force on inmates, including added protections for mentally ill prisoners.
Former Sheriff Lee Baca resigned in 2014 amid allegations that guards abused inmates and obstructed a federal investigation, according to a New York Times report on the agreement.
His replacement, Jim McDonnell, said the settlement “presents an opportunity to close the book on challenges of the past and to be able to write a new chapter in the care of those suffering from mental illness who end up in our jails.”
