Men\u2019s Central Jail was supposed to close in 2021. LA County’s latest report pushes it beyond 2031<\/p>\n
The team leading L.A. County\u2019s push to close Men\u2019s Central Jail says a full closure is not feasible in the next five years. LAist’s Jordan Rynning explains why.<\/p>\n
The team leading L.A. County\u2019s push to close Men\u2019s Central Jail says a full closure is not feasible in the next five years.<\/p>\n
This is yet another delay since the county Board of Supervisors voted in July 2020 to close the jail within one year. A two-year plan<\/a> was announced in 2021, then a five-year plan<\/a> in 2024.<\/p>\n The Jail Closure Implementation Team, also known as JCIT, told the Board of Supervisors this week that they\u2019ve outlined a framework that will improve conditions for thousands of people in L.A. County\u2019s justice system, but the steps they\u2019ve identified are still not enough to safely close the jail within the five-year timeline.<\/p>\n Some supervisors expressed frustration in the lack of progress, but restated their commitment to close the jail. They passed a subsequent measure to provide $28 million this year for JCIT\u2019s work.<\/p>\n Keep up with LAist.<\/p>\n If you’re enjoying this article, you’ll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less. <\/p>\n \u201cMen\u2019s Central Jail is a decrepit, outdated facility inconsistent with human values and basic decency,\u201d Supervisor Janice Hahn told LAist in a statement after the vote. \u201cIt puts both those incarcerated there and our sheriff\u2019s deputies at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n Hahn and other county supervisors have emphasized the need for a collaborative and comprehensive effort to shut down the jail without compromising public safety.<\/p>\n Inhumane conditions<\/p>\n Why close the jail?<\/p>\n \u201cThe reason it’s important to close the jail is that the jail is a hellhole,\u201d Eric Miller told LAist. \u201cIt is physically disgusting and is an inhumane place to house anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n Miller is a professor at Loyola Law School and was a member of the Sybil Brand Commission until he stepped down in February.<\/p>\n That commission, tasked with oversight of county jails and lockups, visited the Men\u2019s Central Jail earlier this month and found issues with the quality of drinking water, moldy or burned food, people not receiving toilet paper or other hygiene products and delayed medical care.<\/p>\n A May inspection also found rust and gnats in drinking water and concerns that people\u2019s grievances and medical requests were going unanswered.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Sybil Brand reports have been consistent that the jail is infested with vermin and mold,\u201d Miller said, \u201cand it’s not limited to one place in the jail.\u201d<\/p>\n Miller said the issues aren’t limited to Men\u2019s Central Jail either, and closing the facility won\u2019t fix underlying problems in how people are treated in the L.A. County\u2019s justice system.<\/p>\n