Death Behind Bars: County Jails Embrace Reforms to Save Lives, but Will They Work?

Death behind bars: County jails embrace reforms to save lives, but will they work?

Second of two parts Every death inside Southern California’s county jails is put under a microscope. Every cause of death is analyzed, every lapse in services or employee misstep is scrutinized. The question then becomes: What, if anything, can be done in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties to ensure jail time doesn’t become a death sentence? Today, sheriff’s administrators install high-tech scanners to curb drugs and use …

FAC Seeks Accountability, Sues Riverside Over Jail Deaths

Overview: The First Amendment Coalition (FAC) has filed a lawsuit against Riverside County for refusing to disclose records and information related to in-custody deaths at Riverside County jails. The lawsuit seeks to enforce a relatively new California transparency law, SB 519, which requires such records to be made available to the public. The FAC’s lawsuit comes after a series of concerning jail incidents in Riverside County, which had the hig…