LA County Supervisors vote to make changes inside jails to address rising deaths

Topline:

Why now? At least nine people have died while in county jail custody since the start of 2026, according to county documents.

“If we don't address this now, we will see another record year of deaths in the county jails — a record we do not want to repeat,” Tuesday’s motion introduced by Supervisor Janice Hahn reads.

In 2025, there have been 46 in-custody deaths, according to the L.A. County Sheriff's Department.

Other issues: The county is also addressing several problems with jails, including unsafe water and long wait times. California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office also filed a lawsuit last year against the Sheriff’s Department over jail conditions.

What are the changes? Tuesday’s vote directs the Sheriff’s Department to work with the Department of Health Services, the CEO’s risk management office, the Auditor-Controller and others to make some of the following changes:

• update facility policies to limit the number of illicit substances making it past security, including installing additional security cameras.
• making sure staff are taking the appropriate amount of time in cell checks. 
• implement inventory control and inspection to make sure emergency response equipment is available and in working order. 
• come up with a plan to expedite compassionate releases and ensure that Naloxone, an overdose reversal medication, is more widely accessible. 

What’s next? County departments, including the Sheriff’s Department, have 120 days to implement the changes and report back to the board.