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Costly Renovations Proposed for Pitchess Detention Center and Men’s Central Jail.

Our Inside California Jails Series…
The LA County Board of Supervisors has been asked to approve a proposal which would allocate $1,4 billion to renovate two LA County jails.   The improvements outlined in the plan would include the modernization of the downtown Men’s Central Jail as well as the addition of 400 bets to Pitchess Detention Center.

Proponents of the plan say that spending the money now would equate to long-term cost savings to the county.  Opponents, however, point to the weak economy and question whether taking on such a marked expense is prudent at the current time.

Greg Rynerson Bail Bonds continues with our twelfth series in our California Jails: Inside the Los Angeles County Jails.

Here, we’ll fill you in on:

• How California’s Prison Realignment Plan Could Read more »

LA County Sheriff’s officials continue to remain under fire amidst charges of inmate abuse, according to a report by the LA Times.

A number of jail employees, 30 in total, are now facing disciplinary action for abusing and/or covering up abuse of inmates.  The Office of Independent Review (OIR), which serves as a “watchdog” for the department, found that stories were often forged as a means of “justifying” physical action against inmates.  Disproving those claims, they said, is often difficult to prove.

The report further stated that “only a fraction” of jail employees who used excessive force punished for their actions.  The full report, prepared by OIR head Michael Gennaco, is expected to be released later today.

In an interview with The Los Angeles Times, Gennaco said jail surveillance cameras had captured footage of Read more »

Fox Los Angeles reported  that Los Angeles Sheriff Lee Baca has a new jail plan. If approved by the County Board of Supervisors, the $1.4 billion plan would allow for the demolition and rebuilding of the downtown Men’s Central Jail and would also allow for a new, women’s jail to be constructed at Pitchess Detention Center.

The proposal comes amidst staunch allegations of inmate abuse by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) . County officials believe that prison populations could be better managed should construction plans be approved.

Baca told Fox that the Los Angeles Men’s Central Jail is antiquated and if the new facility is approved it could reduce annual operation costs by approximately $23.7 million. The current facility, which houses about 5,000 inmates, was built in 1963.

Baca further noted the new facilities would allow Read more »

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said he’s taking allegations of inmate abuse within the LA County jail system seriously.

In response to recent claims made by former department rookie Joshua Sather that he had been instructed by a supervisor to beat a mentally ill inmate, as well as other allegations brought forth by the American Civil Liberty Union (ACLU), Baca said he has created two separate task forces address concerns.

“A number of allegations of misconduct including excessive force by Sheriff’s Department jail staff have been brought to my attention,” Baca said in a statement. “In order to address Read more »

Longtime Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca has come under attack recently from a civil rights group, which is demanding his resignation because of the problems stemming from the jail system. The group, the American Civil Liberties Union, calls the system corrupt and says that it encourages fear and deputy brutality.

Sheriff Baca and his deputies are responsible for the supervision of more than 15,000 inmates in the LA County jail system, the busiest in the country. The Sheriff disputes the claims that have been made by the ACLU. The ACLU stated during a news conference that the sheriff and his top commanders were intentionally Read more »

Incarcerated inmates at the Los Angeles County Jail are still finding ways to victimize people through phone fraud schemes, according to authorities.

One of the newest schemes coming to light is one in which the inmate will call a number and yell “Emergency!” when the recording plays stating that the phone call is from an inmate at the jail.

If the person on the receiving end accepts the call, the inmate will Read more »

LOS ANGELES – Yesterday, at approximately 7:30am the 20-year-old inmate was reportedly found lying lifeless in his jail cell at the Men’s Central Jail in L.A, according to the Sheriff’s and Coroner’s officials.

His name has not yet been released to the public and the death of the inmate is now undergoing investigation. There is no information being released now according to why his death occurred or if there was any violence that contributed to his death. An autopsy is Read more »

The Los Angeles County Men’s Central Jail’s metal detectors are putting people at risk.  This particular facility, the largest jail in the world housing approximately 4,000 inmates, has a total of seven scanners, and many of them are not working.  As scary as that sounds, the jail’s chief says that security has not been compromised by the frequent breaking down of metal detectors. 

Deputies are often confiscating weapons made by inmates from various scrap metals.  Sheriff’s Captain Daniel Cruz, who is responsible for overseeing the jail, stated that, “We’re stuck with old technology and stuff that breaks down regularly.”  Cruz also mentioned that out of seven metal detectors at the jail, only one is working properly at the moment.  

On Wednesday, the LA Times inquired about the non-working metal detectors and the Sheriff’s Department made a commitment to replace Read more »

One inmate spoke his mind so perfectly, “How do I find a way to go beyond these bars?” He describes that being is jail is a difficult enviornment in which to exist; with the constant clanking of jail cell doors being shut, inmates shouting and loud instructions coming through the intercom system.

Being locked in a jail cell can’t be easy. But a program initiated at Los Angeles County Men’s Central Jail , may offer many inmates a much needed ’metaphysical outlet’ by way of meditation classes, according to the Los Angeles Times.

A Buddhist Chaplain has been helping the inmates see a calmer, lighter sense of being through a popular weekly meditiation course being offered. So successful, it’s now Read more »

Redmond O’Neal, son of the late Charlie’s Angels actress Farrah Fawcett and film actor Ryan O’Neal, was returned to jail after violating his probation for a series of drug offenses.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Tynan sentenced O’Neal to a 30-day, in-custody drug-treatment program thanks to his inability to stay clean.  O’Neal remains in jail without bail pending a February 2nd hearing.

Judge Tynan warned Redmond that he would go to state prison for six years if he violated his probation, back in November. “It actually strikes me that you haven’t got a clue as to what recovery means. It is a lifelong commitment and it’s grinding, hard, painful work,” Tynan told O’Neal. “You’ve got one responsibility and that’s to yourself — to get clean and sober.”

O’Neal was on a 24 hour pass from a rehab center – his first since Read more »