Board of Supervisors Passes Hahn Motion in Response to Rising Deaths in LA County Jails
May 13, 2025
Los Angeles, CA — In response to a disturbing rise in in-custody deaths within the Los Angeles County jail system, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors today unanimously passed a motion authored by Supervisor Janice Hahn to initiate a multi-departmental comprehensive plan to address the crisis.
The County has seen one of the deadliest starts to a year in its jail system’s recent history. In the first 20 weeks of 2025 alone, 20 incarcerated individuals have died—more than double the number of deaths during the same period last year—including three in a single day.
“Our jails are in crisis,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “We have seen an alarming increase in deaths of people who are in our custody and in our care. We need to take urgent, decisive action to save lives. The aim of this motion is to make sure we understand what is driving this increase and that we address it at a systemic level.”
Deaths have continued to increase despite recent efforts to improve conditions—such as increased medical staffing, greater access to Narcan within jails, and a declining jail population.
The motion directs the Department of Health Services’ Correctional Health Services (CHS) and requests the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) to deliver a comprehensive report within 90 days that includes:
• An implementation plan with clear performance metrics to significantly reduce in-custody deaths;
• An in-depth analysis of the causes and contributing factors behind the increase in deaths, along with recommendations to prevent future loss of life;
• An assessment of how policy or budgetary decisions—such as Proposition 36 or federal cuts to health services—may affect inmate health outcomes.
Additionally, the motion directs the Auditor-Controller and CEO Risk Management, with support from CHS, LASD, and the Medical Examiner, to audit corrective action plans related to in-custody deaths from 2020 to the present and recommend further improvements.
Read full motion: https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/bos/supdocs/202910.pdf