Men's Central Jail Explained

Prison Name:Men's Central Jail (MCJ)
Location:Los Angeles, California
Status:Operational
Classification:Minimum–Maximum
Capacity:5,276
Population:4,300[1]
Opened:1963
Managed By:Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department

Men's Central Jail is a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department county jail for men in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States. Built in 1963, it is one of the oldest county jails in California. The Men's Central Jail is located at 441 Bauchet St., Los Angeles 90012. The Men's Central Jail houses men who are awaiting trial or who have been convicted of crimes.

The Men's Central Jail is considered one of the largest jails in the world.[2] [3] [4] [5] [1] [6] In May 2013, along with the adjacent Twin Towers Correctional Facility, Men's Central Jail was ranked as one of the ten worst prisons in the United States, based on reporting in Mother Jones magazine.[7]

On July 7, 2020, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted 4–0 to pursue a plan to close the Men's Central Jail within 12 months.[8] In voting to eventually close the 57-year-old facility, county supervisors said they wanted to focus on community-based programs to treat mental health challenges of those entering and exiting the jail system administered by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The vote came amid deliberate inmate reductions during outbreaks of COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement protests over police violence and the murder of George Floyd.[9]

Construction and population

The construction of the Men's Central Jail was finished in 1963. The original building was designed to house 3,323 inmates.[10] In 1976, an addition was added to the structure at the cost of $35 million,[11] and by December 1990, inmate capacity was 5,276.[12]

Men's Central Jail has severe overcrowding, leading to problems such as inmates lacking shower facilities, very short recreation times out of their cells, wearing dirty clothes for up to a week, and inmates sleeping on floors for extended periods of time.[13] [14] [15] In March 1997, the inmate population was about 13,000,[16] and saw similarly high numbers by June 2015, where the inmate population was about 17,000[1] and increased to 19,000 by August, where the legal limits on the jail population were only for 15,000 inmates.[14]

Notable inmates

Services

Men's Central Jail provides some services to its inmates. Inmates can attend self-help classes on domestic violence, alcohol abuse, and substance abuse. Religious services are provided to inmates in the wake of several ACLU lawsuits.[31] [32] As of 2004, selected inmates can earn a GED while incarcerated.[33]

Violence and lawsuits

The ACLU has sued Men's Central Jail for major civil rights violations.[34] [35] [36] [37] [38] The United States Department of Justice has also sued the Men's Central Jail.[39] [40] [41] [42]

In 2013, federal prosecutors charged 18 Sheriff's Deputies with excessive use of force.[43] [44] [45] [46] In June 2015, Los Angeles Sheriff's Deputies were found guilty of beating a handcuffed man at the Men's Central Jail.[47] [48] [49] [50]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: County supervisors vote to reconsider size of new Men's Central Jail . Abby. Sewell . 9 June 2015 . . 24 August 2015. limited.
  2. News: Jennifer. Medina. Report Details Wide Abuse in Los Angeles Jail System. The New York Times. 28 September 2011. 4 August 2015. limited.
  3. Web site: Infographic: County jail populations across California dip after Prop 47 - 89.3 KPCC. Don Thompson, Associated Press. Southern California Public Radio. 2 February 2015. 4 August 2015.
  4. Web site: In the Gay Wing of L.A. Men's Central Jail, It's Not Shanks and Muggings But Hand-Sewn Gowns and Tears. Ani. Ucar. LA Weekly. 4 August 2015. 18 November 2014.
  5. Web site: Cell breakouts, attacks 'easy' in outdated Men's Central Jail. ABC7 Los Angeles. 4 August 2015.
  6. Web site: At least one inmate stabbed in riot at Los Angeles jail. Reuters. 4 August 2015. 3 June 2015.
  7. Web site: America's 10 Worst Prisons: LA County. Mother Jones. James Ridgeway and Jean Casella. 8 May 2013. 4 August 2015.
  8. Web site: 2020-07-07. LA County Votes To Initiate Plan To Close Men's Central Jail Within The Year. Losangeles.cbslocal.com. 2020-07-10. en-US.
  9. Web site: 2020-07-08. L.A. County seeks plan to close aging Men's Central Jail in a year. 2020-07-10. Los Angeles Times. en-US.
  10. Web site: LA's Men's Central Jail plagued by overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, violence. KPCC. Southern California Public Radio. 24 August 2015. 5 May 2010.
  11. Web site: Upkeep is proving costly as Men's Central Jail shows its age. Christina. Villacorte. Los Angeles Daily News. 24 August 2015. 28 August 2017. limited.
  12. Web site: L.A. COUNTY'S CENTRAL JAIL : Overcrowding and Age Burden Facility. Los Angeles Times. 24 August 2015. limited.
  13. Web site: ACLU Criticizes Jail Overcrowding. Los Angeles Times. 24 August 2015.
  14. Web site: Men's Central Jail overcrowding crisis could cost $1.7 billion to fix. Los Angeles Daily News. 24 August 2015. limited. 28 August 2017. Christina. Villacorte.
  15. Web site: ACLU calls Men's Central Jail a dungeon, seeks closure. Los Angeles Daily News. 15 April 2009. 24 August 2015. limited.
  16. Web site: ACLU Demands Meeting as Jail Crowding Soars. Los Angeles Times. 24 August 2015.
  17. Web site: Chris Brown Ordered to Remain in Jail. People. 5 August 2015. Howard. Breuer. 17 March 2014.
  18. Web site: Suge Knight is released from jail. Entertainment Weekly. 5 August 2015. 26 February 2003. Gary. Susman.
  19. Web site: Mistrial Declared in Bridges' Assault Case. Los Angeles Times. 5 August 2015. Lois. Timnick. 10 November 1989. limited.
  20. Web site: Drakeo the Ruler: Thank You for Using GTL. Pitchfork.
  21. News: A Celebrity Home That's Not on the Star Maps. Charlie. LeDuff. 16 November 2002. 12 April 2020. limited. New York Times.
  22. Web site: Dobruck . Jeremiah . 2024-05-30 . Notorious sexual predator released from prison, immediately rearrested by Long Beach police . 2024-07-11 . Long Beach Post News . en-US.
  23. Web site: The Party's Over. People. 5 August 2015. 22 December 1997. Samantha. Miller.
  24. Web site: Room 7201: celebrity confinement California style. The Guardian. 5 August 2015. Charlie. LeDuff. 20 November 2002.
  25. Book: Four Feet Tall and Rising. 5 August 2015. 9780307985897. Rossi. Shorty. 2012-01-10.
  26. https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/24/entertainment/yg-arrested/index.html YG arrested on robbery charges after Los Angeles home raid
  27. Web site: LASD Inmate Information Center - Booking Details. App5.lasd.org.
  28. Web site: Vasquez . Whitney . 2021-07-20 . Harvey Weinstein Jumps Off Private Jet Without Handcuffs, Disgraced Mogul Arrives To Los Angeles In Style Following Extradition . 2024-07-11 . RadarOnline . en-US.
  29. Web site: Edward Furlong sentenced to 6 months in jail over probation violation. Today.com.
  30. Web site: Schladebeck . Jessica . June 3, 2023 . Danny Masterson awaits sentencing in ‘segregation’ for safety . https://web.archive.org/web/20230605011254/https://www.nydailynews.com/snyde/ny-danny-masterson-awaits-rape-sentencing-jail-segregation-safety-20230603-imvhm2plprf43mkvndtyuszbky-story.html . June 5, 2023 . June 7, 2023 . New York Daily News.
  31. Web site: ACLU says Muslim inmates in L.A. jails not treated equally. Los Angeles Daily News. Thomas. Himes. 28 March 2014. 4 August 2015. limited.
  32. Web site: Under new rules, Muslim inmates in L.A. County jails observe Ramadan. Cindy. Chang. 26 July 2014. Los Angeles Times. 4 August 2015. limited.
  33. Web site: Gay Jail Inmates Get Chance to Learn. Los Angeles Times. James. Ricci. 7 April 2004. 24 August 2015. limited.
  34. Web site: ACLU report: L.A.'s Men's Central Jail 'nightmarish'. Los Angeles Daily News. 4 August 2015. 29 August 2017. limited.
  35. Web site: L.A. County Sheriff's Department sued by ACLU. Los Angeles Times. 4 August 2015. 19 January 2012. Jack. Leonard. Robert. Faturechi. limited.
  36. Web site: ACLU: LA County jail guards perpetuate violence. Frank. Stoltze. Southern California Public Radio. 5 May 2010. 4 August 2015.
  37. Web site: Men's County Jail Visitor Viciously Beaten by Guards. Chris. Vogel. LA Weekly. 4 August 2015. 19 May 2011.
  38. Web site: LA County Jails. American Civil Liberties Union. 4 August 2015.
  39. Web site: Source: LA Sheriff agrees to new reforms at jails, settles civil DOJ lawsuit. Southern California Public Radio. Southern California Public Radio. 4 August 2015. 4 August 2015.
  40. Web site: Los Angeles County's jails operating under unconstitutional conditions, says Justice Department. Southern California Public Radio. Southern California Public Radio. 6 June 2014. 4 August 2015.
  41. Web site: FBI probing reports of beatings in L.A. County jails. Los Angeles Times. 4 August 2015. 25 September 2011. Robert. Faturechi.
  42. Web site: U.S. reaches anti-bias accord with Los Angeles County sheriff. Reuters. 12 April 2020. 28 April 2015. Diana Beth. Solomon.
  43. Web site: 18 Los Angeles sheriff's officials indicted, accused of abuse, obstruction. Robert Faturechi and Jack Leonard. 9 December 2013. Los Angeles Times. 4 August 2015.
  44. News: Jennifer. Medina. U.S. Charges 18 Sheriff's Officers in Inquiry Into Misconduct at Los Angeles Jails. The New York Times. 9 December 2013. August 5, 2015. limited.
  45. Web site: Six L.A. Sheriff's Officers Found Guilty of Obstructing Justice. Erica E.. Phillips. 2 July 2014. Wall Street Journal. 4 August 2015. subscription.
  46. Web site: 18 L.A. County deputies charged in civil rights, corruption probe. FOX6Now. 4 August 2015.
  47. News: Associated Press. L.A. sheriff's deputies, sergeant found guilty in jail beating. CBS News. June 24, 2015. 12 April 2020.
  48. Web site: Three L.A. County Deputies Convicted in Beating of Jail Visitor. Los Angeles Times. 12 April 2020. 24 June 2015. Joel. Rubin. limited.
  49. Web site: Ex-deputy: L.A. County sheriff's deputies beat jail visitor, then lied. Joel. Rubin. 17 June 2015. Los Angeles Times. 4 August 2015. limited.
  50. Web site: Three Deputy Sheriffs Found Guilty of Federal Civil Rights Offense in Beating of Visitor at Downtown Los Angeles Jail. United States Department of Justice. 25 June 2015. 4 August 2015.

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