California State Attorney Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles County, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, and County Correctional Health Services for alleged inhumane and unconstitutional conditions in their jails.

“Despite the fact that the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and Sheriff Luna have “Having made a series of reforms to patrol operations, they have remained stubborn in improving the unsafe and unconstitutional conditions in the county jails,” said DA Bonta.

“We are going to court because we have no other choice: we will not allow Los Angeles County to continue ignoring its responsibility to the health, safety, and well-being of the people in its care.”

He emphasized that Los Angeles operates the largest jail system in the United States, and one of the most troubled.

“When we talk about feces smeared on walls and medical care denied to those in need, we are talking about a disrespect for the basic dignity of our fellow human beings and a violation of their most fundamental constitutional rights. We are confident the court will agree.”

In 2021, the California District Attorney’s office launched an investigation into whether the LASD was engaging in a pattern of unconstitutional policies.

The investigation, according to the Attorney General’s office, revealed constitutional violations at the jails, including an increase in in-custody deaths despite a declining population; overcrowded and uninhabitable facilities with inadequate drainage, sanitation, and temperature control that contributed to inmate deaths.

In addition to failures to provide mental and physical health care in the jails.

Dr. Bonta's office explained that they filed the lawsuit to force much-needed reforms after the county, the LASD, and Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna,refused to accept the comprehensive solutions necessary to improve conditions at all county jails.

In a statement, Sheriff Luna responded that his Department has been fully engaged and cooperating with the California Department of Justice throughout this investigation.

“Despite current challenges, such as the increasing inmate population and the aging of the Men’s Central Jail, our personnel have remained committed to providing constitutional and humane care to those in our custody.”

He stated that they do not wait for court orders, but rather proactively push for reforms to build a safer and more accountable custodial environment.

“I am proud of the progress we have made and am confident in our ability to continue creating meaningful change for our community.”

With the lawsuit, Attorney General Bonta is seeking a declaratory and injunctive relief that would require the County, the LASD, Sheriff Luna, the CHS, and its director to implement comprehensive reforms at the county jails .

The reforms call for: providing constitutionally adequate medical, dental, and mental health care to incarcerated individuals; protecting incarcerated individuals from unreasonable risk of harm; providing habitable, humane, and safe conditions of confinement; and respecting the dignity and health of incarcerated individuals.

They also call for ensuring that requests for medical care are addressed promptly and completely; providing reasonable accommodations and equal access to programs, services, and activities for incarcerated individuals with disabilities; and providing access to multilingual, interpretation, and translation services for incarcerated individuals with limited English proficiency.

According to the State's Attorney's Office, the County and the LASD have been aware of the unconstitutional and deplorable conditions in their jails for decades.

However, they said that rather than addressing the root causes or dedicating resources to resolving self-acknowledged violations of state and federal law, the County and LASD have continued to resist oversight and accountability, spending millions of dollars defending and settling jail abuse litigation over the years, failing to implement needed changes to their operations and policies, and stonewalling independent oversight bodies in ensuring some level of transparency and accountability.

The County Sheriff's Office said its department has consistently demonstrated responsiveness throughout the investigation,producing more than one million documents in response to 23 subpoenas covering five distinct County entities and addressing more than 1,000 specific requests for information on a wide range of topics.

“The filed complaint is based on outdated information and is unsupported by a proven pattern or practice of wrongdoing. Furthermore, many of the dispositions have already been completed or are being addressed through existing Department practices or ongoing Federal Settlement Agreements,” they said.

They said the Department remains focused on meaningful reform, not only related to this CA-DOJ investigation, but also to its five current Federal Settlement Agreements.

“Sheriff Luna has made it clear that he does not wait for external mandates to drive change, but is proactively improving practices and procedures where reforms are needed.”

Reactions

The A New Way of Life Reentry Project responded to the lawsuit by saying that the inhumane treatment and horrific systematic abuse of people incarcerated in Los Angeles County jails must end, and this lawsuit is a critical first step toward justice and accountability.

“Inmates in county jails have endured dehumanizing, unsanitary, and overcrowded conditions at the hands of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office,” said Michael Towler, co-executive director of the A New Way of Life Reentry Project.

“These conditions further exacerbate existing trauma and harm in individuals awaiting sentencing or release, making reentry and healing more difficult while increasing the likelihood of recidivism and abuse,” he said.

And he added that every human being deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of whether they are in prison or free.

Supervisor Hilda Solis’ office said they cannot comment on ongoing litigation.