LA Jail Oversight Commission Now Running

A seven-member jail oversight whose job it is to investigate claims of inmate abuse and employee misconduct is now up and running. The committee members consist of a jail safety expert, a police chief, four retired judges and a pastor.

Controversy within the Los Angeles County jails has been making headlines for most of 2011. The L.A. Times has reported there have been “numerous cases of abuse and violence by deputies, including a rookie who resigned after he was allegedly told by a supervisor to beat a mentally ill inmate”.   They further point to disciplinary action against approximately 30 inmates since 2009, many of whom were accused for beating inmates or covering up abuse by other deputies.

Although the scope of the commission’s authority is somewhat hindered in that it is unable to mandate the unsealing of internal documents and cannot actually govern Los Angeles County jails, it will be able to “apply pressure” to the County Board of Supervisors to take remedial action, when needed.

The committee will further evaluate whether deputies are properly monitored, receive adequate training, whether early-warning-systems that alert supervisors about deputies who “repeatedly use excessive force” and other check-and-balance measures are being properly employed.

Findings and recommendations will be made available to the public once the investigations are complete.

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