Los Angeles County Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger issued the following statement today:
“For years, I have said plainly that Men’s Central Jail is antiquated, inhumane, and unfit for our workforce and those incarcerated there. News that the U.S. Department of Justice is opening an investigation into conditions at the facility does not surprise me. If anything, it underscores an urgency I have been raising at our Board meetings for years.
In 2021, I brought forward a motion directing County departments to develop a comprehensive, data-driven plan—with a real timeline and the financial resources to back it—to close Men’s Central Jail and replace it with a facility equipped to serve the population it houses, including individuals with serious mental illness and complex medical needs. I said then, and I’ll say now: the County has a constitutional duty to provide safe and humane conditions for anyone in its custody, and we cannot meet that duty in a building that was never built for it.
Until this Board of Supervisors agrees that a replacement facility is necessary and shuts down the jail, we will continue to be plagued by these types of issues. I stand ready to shut down Men’s Central Jail and approve a replacement.
I have not seen the specifics behind the DOJ’s inquiry, and I won’t speculate on its conclusions. But I support a thorough, transparent review, and I expect the County to cooperate fully. My focus hasn’t changed: closing Men’s Central Jail the right way, with a plan that protects public safety, cares for a vulnerable population, and finally gives this facility the ending it’s long overdue.”