Los Angeles County might have a serious problem in its jails, with a new report revealing that nine people have died inside county facilities so far this year, raising concerns about jail conditions and inmate safety.
But despite the alarming number of deaths in less than two months, the county is on pace to match 2025, when nine deaths were also reported by the end of February, and the year ultimately ended with 46 in-custody deaths. So far this year, seven inmates died in January and two more occurred this month, and all causes of death are still pending autopsy results.
As inmate deaths and lawsuits alleging inhumane conditions continue to stack up, the Los Angeles Times spoke with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which said it is aware of the problem and continues to implement changes in hopes of better assisting an inmate population that is increasingly struggling with medical and mental health issues…