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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| LA jail conditions 'unconstitutional' | LA jail conditions 'unconstitutional' |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| The condition of mental healthcare inside Los Angeles County jails is so poor that it is unconstitutional, the US justice department has said. | |
| The "deplorable" conditions violated a ban on cruel and unusual punishment in the US Constitution, its report said. | The "deplorable" conditions violated a ban on cruel and unusual punishment in the US Constitution, its report said. |
| Jail officials, it said, had failed to address a "dramatic increase" in suicides over the past two years. | Jail officials, it said, had failed to address a "dramatic increase" in suicides over the past two years. |
| But the sheriff's office said it was "disappointed" the report "fails to fully recognise" improvements made. | But the sheriff's office said it was "disappointed" the report "fails to fully recognise" improvements made. |
| "The report also mischaracterises and significantly understates the incredible efforts made to improve our suicide prevention practices," the sheriff's office said in statement. | "The report also mischaracterises and significantly understates the incredible efforts made to improve our suicide prevention practices," the sheriff's office said in statement. |
| The US justice department said the nation's largest jail system - with about 19,000 prisoners - had completed some of the reforms required by a 2002 court agreement. | The US justice department said the nation's largest jail system - with about 19,000 prisoners - had completed some of the reforms required by a 2002 court agreement. |
| It also applauded steps to expand community supervision programmes, saying a rapid increase in the number of prisoners who are seriously mentally ill was putting the system under strain. | It also applauded steps to expand community supervision programmes, saying a rapid increase in the number of prisoners who are seriously mentally ill was putting the system under strain. |
| But it said "serious systemic deficiencies" and "deplorable environmental conditions" remained for those being held at the jail, violating the US constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. | But it said "serious systemic deficiencies" and "deplorable environmental conditions" remained for those being held at the jail, violating the US constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. |
| Among the criticisms in the report was a lack of response to an increase in suicides and suicide attempts at county jails. | Among the criticisms in the report was a lack of response to an increase in suicides and suicide attempts at county jails. |
| "Fifteen suicides in 25 months produced almost no discernible change in the jails' custodial practices," the report said. | "Fifteen suicides in 25 months produced almost no discernible change in the jails' custodial practices," the report said. |
| Other findings include: | Other findings include: |
| The sheriff's office said it remains committed to working with the Justice Department on the issues. | The sheriff's office said it remains committed to working with the Justice Department on the issues. |
| Jails in the US are generally for people being locked up in the short-term, but the prison system throughout the state of California, where inmates serve longer sentences, has also come under scrutiny for overcrowding. | Jails in the US are generally for people being locked up in the short-term, but the prison system throughout the state of California, where inmates serve longer sentences, has also come under scrutiny for overcrowding. |