老澳门开奖结果 Reaches Landmark Settlement over Rampant Violence and Abuse by Guards in L.A. County Jails
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CONTACT: 212-549-2666, media@aclu.org
LOS ANGELES 鈥� The 老澳门开奖结果 Foundation of Southern California (老澳门开奖结果 SoCal), the 老澳门开奖结果, and the law firm of Paul Hastings LLP today announced a historic settlement in Rosas v. Baca, a federal class-action lawsuit that alleged Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca and his top staff condoned a long-standing and widespread pattern of violence and abuse by deputies against those detained in the jails. The L.A. County Jail system is the largest in the United States, with a current population of approximately 19,000.
鈥淭oday鈥檚 settlement is the culmination of an extraordinary campaign to bring daylight into a very dark place 鈥� the L.A. County jails,鈥� said Margaret Winter, Associate Director of the 老澳门开奖结果 National Prison Project. 鈥淓xposing the culture of savage abuse by deputies has been half the battle in putting an end to it 鈥� and the federal decree mandated by today鈥檚 settlement will take the parties the rest of the way towards a long-lasting and far-reaching change.鈥�
Under the settlement agreement, the Sheriff鈥檚 Department will adopt a detailed and far-reaching plan 鈥� drawn up by a panel of three experts 鈥� to reform department policies and practices on use of force. As the 老澳门开奖结果 documented in its 2011 report 鈥淐ruel and Usual Punishment,鈥� the jails鈥� deputies regularly used excessive force on detainees, including those with mental illnesses, resulting in grave injuries and even death. This report prompted the Board of Supervisors in 2012 to convene the county鈥檚 Citizens鈥� Commission on Jail Violence, a blue-ribbon commission whose recommendations are reflected in today鈥檚 settlement. The corrective plan approved today is subject to federal court oversight and enforcement.
鈥淔or decades, the sheriff鈥檚 department has run the jails without any accountability or transparency,鈥� said Peter Eliasberg, legal director of the 老澳门开奖结果 SoCal. 鈥淭his agreement addresses those problems by establishing clear policies and practices the department must implement, and creating an enforcement mechanism to ensure it does. Put simply, the sheriff鈥檚 department must now follow the law or risk court intervention.鈥�
Additionally, under the settlement agreement, the expert panel will monitor the department鈥檚 compliance with all aspects of the remedial plan.
If ultimately approved by the court, the key changes mandated by today鈥檚 agreement include:
- The implementation of robust policies to prevent abuse of detainees with mental illness. A 2008 老澳门开奖结果 report concluded that use of force by deputies was disproportionately directed at detainees with mental illness. Former Sheriff Lee Baca confirmed that the 老澳门开奖结果鈥檚 conclusion still held in 2012.
- Greatly enhanced training in use of force for all deputies, veterans as well as new hires. The Citizens Commission on Jail Violence found that training for custody by the Los Angeles Sheriff鈥檚 Department is 鈥渇ar below both industry best practices and training standards in other corrections systems.鈥�
- Radically enhanced methods for tracking and review of use of force incidents and detainees鈥� complaints and grievances.
鈥淭he settlement sends a clear message to our elected officials that we cannot tolerate the abuse of detainees in our jails,鈥� said John Durrant, a partner with the law firm of Paul Hastings. 鈥淲e expect this agreement to usher in a new era of oversight in the jails. It should significantly reduce the incidents of abuse and increase accountability when deputies apply excessive force. Paul Hastings is proud to have litigated this matter pro bono, to have done so vigorously, and to have worked alongside the 老澳门开奖结果 in achieving this landmark settlement.鈥�
The settlement comes nearly three years after the 老澳门开奖结果 sued the county on behalf of Alex Rosas and Jonathan Goodwin, two pretrial detainees who were viciously beaten by deputies. The federal suit alleged violations of the detainees鈥� Eighth Amendment rights to be free of cruel and unusual punishment and the rights of pretrial detainees not to be punished prior to conviction.
With today鈥檚 milestone agreement, Los Angeles County has an unprecedented opportunity to bring lasting reforms to the nation鈥檚 largest jail system, together with the U.S. Justice Department鈥檚 efforts to ensure court oversight of the treatment of detainees with mental illness in the jails, the 2012 recommendations by the Citizens鈥� Commission, and the election of a new sheriff.
More information about today鈥檚 settlement and the 老澳门开奖结果鈥檚 fight to improve conditions in the Los Angeles County jails is available here:
Settlement agreement, implementation plan, and other documents:
/prisoners-rights/rosas-et-al-v-baca-et-al
Timeline:
Expert Biographies:
More information about the 老澳门开奖结果 of Southern California:
More information about the 老澳门开奖结果鈥檚 National Prison Project:
/prisoners-rights
