California AG Sues L.A. County Jails Over Inhumane Conditions, Rising Deaths

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff Robert Luna, and County Correctional Health Services citing unconstitutional and inhumane conditions in LA County jails. The lawsuit alleges unsafe, overcrowded, and unsanitary facilities infested with roaches and rats, lack of basic necessities such as clean water and edible food, and a failure to provide adequate medical and mental health care. Since 2021, investigations revealed a pattern of constitutional violations including a dramatic increase in in-custody deaths, with 36 reported this year alone, many from suicide, homicide, and overdoses. Despite prior attempts at collaboration and some reforms in patrol operations, the county has refused to address jail conditions adequately, prompting the legal action. The lawsuit also highlights ongoing struggles to close and replace the Men’s Central Jail, notorious for mold, mildew, and neglect, which remains overcrowded and hazardous. Bonta emphasized that this legal step is necessary to uphold the basic dignity and constitutional rights of inmates in the largest jail system in the country.