Jails across our region need scrutiny

Four U.S. senators condemned the state of Los Angeles County jails in an October 2022 letter to the U.S. Department of Justice, reports the

Los Angeles Times.

The senators — including California’s Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla, along with Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York — described the conditions of Los Angeles County jails as “appalling” and a “humanitarian crisis.”

Indeed, Los Angeles County’s jails have long been the subject of much needed scrutiny. A decade ago, a massive federal investigation resulted in criminal charges against over 20 members of the sheriff’s department, with notable convictions of former Sheriff Lee Baca and former Undersheriff and Mayor of Gardena Paul Tanaka.

The senators are right to call out the ongoing problem in Los Angeles County’s jails. But we must not ignore the problems in jail systems across the region.

In Riverside County, according to the Desert Sun, an average of seven jail deaths occurred per year from 2005 to 2021. Last year, 18 people died in Riverside County’s jails.

In response, last week, Starting Over Inc., Riverside All of Us or None and the ACLU Southern California sent a letter to the Board of State and Community Corrections asking for more oversight over the Riverside County jail system. “RSD continuously refuses to take accountability for these lost lives. The department fails to meet basic standards of transparency and reporting,” they note.

This editorial board has called for the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to establish an oversight body to ensure the Riverside Sheriff’s Department is operating justly and responsibly.

Orange County jails, for their part, have been subject to both state and federal scrutiny in recent years. In 2017, the federal Office of Inspector General flagged several problems at the Theo Lacy Facility, including the serving of slimy food. In 2021, the ACLU reported the same problems were ongoing. A 2022 surprise inspection by the state, however, indicated Orange County had at least solved that problem.

It is imperative that our jails are operated with humanity. It serves no one to allow government to mistreat anyone, including the incarcerated.