Commissioners press sheriff and health staff over 46 jail deaths in 2025 and gaps in family notification

Commissioners raised alarm over mortality in county custody at the Civilian Oversight Commission meeting on Jan. 8, citing a department summary that reported 46 deaths in 2025 and one in custody on Jan. 1, 2026.

Chair Haley Broer opened the meeting by stressing the scale of last year’s deaths: “In 2025, we had 46 deaths in the LA County jail facilities,” she said, and added that the commission and community must work to reduce that number.

Sheriff’s Department representatives later provided a breakdown: 25 deaths occurred in hospitals, 19 in jail facilities, one in a transportation compound and one at a station jail. The department reported determinations as 9 accidental, 21 natural, 7 suicide and 1 homicide, with eight autopsies still pending.

Commissioners pressed the department about procedures when incarcerated people are transported to outside hospitals, citing at least one case where family members learned that a loved one had been sent to an outside hospital only after the person failed to appear in court months later. Commissioners said they are concerned about whether attorneys and families are being notified promptly and asked what data exist on the number and locations of people in outside hospitals at any given time.

Sheriff’s representatives said hospital placements fluctuate and are driven by medical need, court location and bed capacity; they said the department attempts to coordinate compassionate release when prognosis is poor and that families would be contacted in those circumstances. One department representative summarized practice this way: notification generally occurs when a prognosis is poor and compassionate‑release coordination is underway.

Correctional Health Services’ Dr. Henderson told the commission that, as of that morning, 11 in‑custody patients were admitted to outside private hospitals and 35 in‑custody patients were at Los Angeles General Medical Center. Henderson explained that community hospitals are sometimes used because of distance, local court location, or because the county medical center is at capacity.

Commissioners also queried CHS about triage processes and response times for urgent medical requests (Health Service Request forms (HSRs) and 'man down' calls). Dr. Henderson said HSRs can take longer because of paperwork routing but that deputies may expedite triage by contacting nursing directly; he also said 'man down' responses trigger immediate triage. Commissioners reported instances from inspections where response times were slow and asked CHS for follow‑up on protocols and whether mental‑health/trauma services are automatically offered to people who report assaults; Henderson said he would follow up with CHS mental‑health leadership to clarify post‑assault care pathways.

The commission requested clearer documentation of notification and compassionate‑release processes and asked for updates in future meetings.