Jails Project

The ACLU Foundation of Southern California is the court ordered monitor of the conditions of confinement and medical services within all Los Angeles County jail facilities.

“Conditions” refers to beds, change of clothing, meals, gay/trans classification, outdoor recreation, showers, telephones, overcrowding, “fish” kits, commissary, protective custody, religious services, mail, allegations of violence and retaliation and other similar issues that may arise.

Through advocacy, public education and litigation, we work to ensure that a basic standard of care is provided to individuals who are incarcerated. We also work to decrease our community’s overreliance on mass incarceration by advocating for alternatives to incarceration and discharge planning to help reduce recidivism.

• The LA County jail system is the largest in the world
• There is an average of 17,000 individuals who are incarcerated in the LA County jails, of which about 2,000 are women
• 53% of the inmate population are pre-trial, those who are awaiting trial or sentencing

LASD/CHS Contacts

For Medical & Mental Health Emergencies:

Correctional Health Services (CHS) Medical Command Center: (213) 893-5544

For Mail Inquiries:

LASD Mail supervisor: (213) 893-5974

For Visitation Inquiries:

LASD Contact: (213) 680-4887

For the ADA Coordinator:

LASD ADA Coordinator: (213) 893-5500

For Men's Central Jail, call (213) 974-4916

For Twin Towers, call (213) 893-5163

For Century Regional Detention Facility or Lynwood, call (323) 568-4506

For North County Correctional Facility or Wayside, call (661) 295-7810

For Pitchess Detention Center North, call (661) 295-8059

and for Pitchess Detention Center South, call (661) 295-8011

Other Jails Oversight Bodies

Office of the Inspector General

Phone: (213) 974-6100

Online form: https://oig.lacounty.gov/Contact-Us

Los Angeles County Civilian Oversight Commission

Online complaint form: https://oig.lacounty.gov/Commendation-Complaint

Sybil Brand Commission for Institutional Inspections

Phone: (213) 974-1431

Email: sbc@bos.lacounty.gov

For Mental Health Complaints: United States Department of Justice (DOJ)

The US Department of Justice has a lawsuit against the LA County Sheriff's Department for treatment of people with mental health needs in the jails. Scroll down to the bottom of this page for links to send an email or download and send a complaint: https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/divisions/civil-division.

State Prison Inquiries

Questions about transfer to state prison: CDCR Office of the Ombudsman

Phone: 916-323-7371

• Rutherford v. Pitchess (1975): conditions of confinement
• Robertson v. Block (1982): protection of the rights of gay prisoners
• Johnson v. LA Sheriff’s Department (2008): ADA compliance for inmates with mobility impairments
• Rosas v. Baca (2012): elimination of systemic excessive use of force tactics on inmates
• Douglas v. Cooley (2012): halt unlawful practice of suppressing exculpatory evidence in criminal trials by the District Attorney and the LA Sheriff’s Department
• Mannings v. LA Sheriff’s Department (not filed) (2012): challenge policies that unfairly prevent Muslim inmates from attending group worship

• Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) compliance advocacy work with LASD, LAPD and SBSO (2016)
• Doula program (in progress)
• Lactation program (February 2016)
• LA Sheriff Department’s Gender Responsive Advisory Board (2015-Present)

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• Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office’s Community Corrections Input Group (2015-Present)

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• Creation of a pregnant inmate module (December 2014)
• 100 Days (2014)
• LA Police Department’s Civilian Police Jail Advisory Board (2012-present)

• Orange County Jails (2017)
• Cruel and Unusual Punishment: How a Savage Gang of Deputies Controls LA County Jails (2011)
• Sheriff Baca’s Strike Force: Deputy Violence And Head Injuries Of Inmates In LA County Jails (2012)
• A Way Forward: Diverting People with Mental Illness from Inhumane and Expensive Jails into Community-Based Treatment That Work (2014)
• See more Jails reports

On behalf of an inmate regarding quality of life, jails services, or inmate abuse.

• File a complaint with the LASD.
• File a complaint with the ACLU.