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Board votes $28 million to begin jail‑closure work; report says full MCJ closure unlikely within five years without replacement capacity
Summary
The board approved $28 million for the jail‑closure implementation team's year‑one plan after JCIT presented modeling showing required actions would reduce the daily population by an estimated 836 but would not alone achieve closure in five years; officials discussed facility options, urgent care needs and large unfunded capital costs.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on July 21 approved Supervisor Janice Hahn's motion to allocate $28 million in year‑one funding to the Jail Closure Implementation Team (JCIT) to expand programs and planning aimed at closing Men's Central Jail (MCJ). The vote carried following an extended presentation and public testimony.
JCIT executive director Wilford Pinkney told the board the team’s modeling shows a package of required actions and supplemental strategies would reduce the county jail population by an estimated 836 people on an average day once implemented — representing thousands of people served over time — but that this reduction "is not enough to get us to closure in five years" without additional facility work and substantial capital funding. The report lists approximately $2.71 billion in five‑year program costs and flags an additional preliminary $1.5 billion in facility replacement or adaptation costs as currently unfunded.
Supervisor Hahn, arguing for immediate investment, said the county should fund the proven programs that reduce incarceration and expand diversion, and not delay while facility planning continues. "Expanding these programs will keep us on track while we work with partners to identify other ways to reduce the jail population," she said. JCIT and county staff emphasized that many of the required program expansions — early screening, treatment placements, rapid diversion and case‑processing improvements — are already showing measurable impacts on length of stay and screening times.
Sheriff department representatives cautioned that MCJ still houses people with specialty needs and that full closure will require replacement capacity, including an on‑site urgent care at the Pitchess Detention Center campus and renovation of PDC South and North County Correctional Facility (NCCF) modules to accept relocated inmates. Assistant Sheriff Macias said certain specialty housing needs and single‑cell requirements mean "approximately 887 people currently housed at MCJ cannot be moved" without new or renovated facilities. The sheriff also noted staffing and compliance obligations and said any phased de‑occupancy plan must account for the department's constitutional care responsibilities.
County staff outlined a potential sequencing tied to a PDC South renovation (targeted for 2028–2029) and an urgent‑care component intended to reduce transports and provide onsite clinical capacity; an earlier correctional health study estimated on‑site urgent care could cut hospital transfers and produce operational savings.
Despite differences about timing and facility strategy, the board voted to begin funding the first year of JCIT’s plan. The motion directs the CEO to identify and propose the $28 million in supplemental funding and to continue cross‑departmental planning, while JCIT will continue refining its five‑year model and facility options for the board.
