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Advocates and detained people describe water, sanitation and medical failures at Torrance County detention facility; county receives prior-year invoice fromCore
Summary
Detention advocates and recorded testimony from people held at the Torrance County Detention Facility described weeks-long water problems, lack of medical care and unsanitary conditions; Innovation Law Lab urged the county to end its contract with ICE/CoreCivic. Commissioners also approved a small prior-year transport invoice from CoreCivic.
Advocates and people detained at the Torrance County Detention Facility (TCDF) told the Board of County Commissioners that water, sanitation and medical care problems there endanger those held inside. Tiffany Wang of Innovation Law Lab said the county should end its contract with ICE and CoreCivic and argued the facility strains county resources.
"People detained at TCDF should not have to ration the amount of food that they eat to avoid defecating. Toilets won't flush," Wang said during public comment, describing accounts she said she followed closely. Recorded testimony relayed by Innovation Law Lab included a detainee who said he witnessed an attempted suicide and others who reported infections and inadequate medical treatment. Gerald, a person identified in the recording as detained at TCDF, said: "I can say with my full confidence, these facilities should be closed." PJ Podesta and Ian Philabaum, who presented recorded statements, described clogged and overflowing drains, reports of Giardia and H. pylori, and detainees being instructed to use bags when toilets were unusable.
County leaders responded to the public-comment allegations later in the meeting. In his commissioners' report, Chair Ryan Schwebach disputed portions of the testimony, saying, "water was not shut off for weeks at the prison. I don't know where you got your information, but it's wrong." The board did not take formal action on the contract with CoreCivic during this meeting, but the record shows heightened scrutiny from residents and advocates.
Separately, the county approved payment of a prior-year invoice for court-transport services to CoreCivic in the amount of $5,787.18; Deputy County Manager Misty Witt said the county received federal reimbursement for that service. The invoice related to October 2023 transport services and was presented to the board as a disbursement for an outstanding prior-year obligation.
The meeting did not produce a new vote on the county's contract with ICE or CoreCivic. Commissioners indicated continuing attention to the issue; advocates asked the board to pursue alternatives and to ensure detainees receive outside medical care when county-contracted providers are inadequate. The county video and audio are available on request for further review.
