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Board orders review of jail deaths and strategies to reduce in-custody mortality
Summary
Following a spate of deaths this year, the Board of Supervisors directed correctional health and the sheriff's department to develop an action plan to analyze causes and recommend steps to prevent in-custody deaths; supervisors emphasized data transparency and systemwide reforms.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a motion May 13 directing county departments to analyze the recent and unusually high number of in-custody deaths and to propose a coordinated plan to reduce mortality in county jails.
Supervisor Janice Hahn, who brought the item forward, said the county had already recorded 20 in-custody deaths in 2025, a number she called "shocking" compared with previous years. "This motion asks for an analysis of the causes and factors leading to the increase in deaths and how they will be resolved and addressed to prevent and decrease in-custody deaths," Hahn said.
The motion instructs Correctional Health Services (CHS), the Los Angeles County SheriffDepartment (LASD), the Chief Executive Office, the auditor-controller, and risk management to assemble a plan that includes improved data collection, case reviews, service gaps, and an evaluation of policy and budgetary decisions that might affect services and treatment in custody.
Dr. Genevieve Gally (Department of Public Health) described prior county investigations and recent county reports linking health symptoms in communities near oil fields but also emphasized CHS staffing and program changes: "Hiring has been a forefront priority for correctional health services, and they've been very successful in filling a large number of vacancies across all the different disciplines," she said while also pointing to the need for a primary-care medical-home model inside jails.
Supervisors and advocates urged transparency and swift fixes. Several family members and community advocates testified that deaths felt preventable, urged closure of older facilities, and pressed for better release and compassionate-release practices for seriously ill detainees.
The board approved the motion 5-0 and asked the assigned departments to report back with a written plan that will include trend analysis, staffing and service gaps, data on death classifications, and recommendations for changes to reduce avoidable deaths.
Ending: Supervisors said they want concrete, timely steps to stem in-custody deaths, and requested follow-up reporting so the board can monitor progress.
