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| Judge blasts LA jail conditions, orders reforms |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 05/12/2006 |
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LOS ANGELES, CA - A federal judge said he was appalled with conditions at the overcrowded and violence-plagued Men's Central Jail and called for quick reforms there. U.S. District Judge Dean D. Pregerson on Thursday said inmates are being housed in ways "not consistent with basic human values." The judge, who toured the downtown jail on Wednesday, said he was disturbed to find six prisoners packed into cells designed for three and kept there for days with no chance to exercise or stretch their legs. "There is not enough room for all six inmates to stand up or take a pace or two," Pregerson said. "There is not enough room to do push-ups or do anything but lay in their bunks and sleep. That is not a situation that I think should be permitted to exist in the future." Pregerson is presiding over a federal lawsuit challenging jail conditions. The American Civil Liberties Union asked him to intervene after a series of deadly riots earlier this year in several county jails. The judge agreed Thursday to oversee a joint effort by the ACLU and Sheriff Lee Baca to improve the county jail system, and ordered both sides to report back in two weeks. The jail system is the nation's largest and holds an average of 18,000 inmates a day, a third of whom are housed at the Men's Central Jail. Since 2003, nine inmates have been killed in that facility, which is one of the nation's most violent jails. Sheriff's representatives said they're taking steps to reduce overcrowding and improve safety. Officials said they're transferring violent inmates to the newer Twin Towers facility and are working to open day rooms to address some of Pregerson's concerns. "We do appreciate the judge's comments and the judge's concern to tour the jail," Baca spokesman Steve Whitmore said Thursday. "It's not a revelation to us that Men's Central Jail is not the best possible environment in our jail system." |
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