Sheriff — Los Angeles County

We can start by diverting many of those who suffer from mental illnesses from ever setting foot in the County jail.  Those initial contacts in the community are the vital first step towards triaging the mentally ill person and finding ways to accommodate the intervention and treatment in the least restrictive environment available.  That means finding alternative housing and sufficient support resources to keep them engaged with their individual treatment and deescalate their threatening behavior.  Once at this point they will not perceived to be a threat to the community.  This will require working closely with the Board of Supervisors on allocating funding, and collaborating closely with the Department of Mental Health and the Mental Evaluation Teams that pair clinicians with deputies in the field.

Once the actions of the mentally ill renders them unsuitable for placement outside the confines of the jail system, then we have to ensure our entry screening identifies those taking psychiatric medications or are under the care of the mental health system already.  This will prevent a disruption of care that can be very harmful for a successful therapeutic outcome regardless of the nature of the legal ramifications of their detention.  Continued care while the inmate is engaged in the criminal justice system is important, and that involves complying with all the conditions of Title 15 regarding living conditions, access to medical and mental services, programming, religious services, recreational time outside of cells, and fostering continued communications with family members.

Last but not least, each inmate needs an exit strategy once their involvement with the criminal justice system comes to a close.  This means reuniting inmates to be released with their family and support system, securing suitable housing and continued mental health treatment outside of the jail system, and maintaining some level of contact with social workers to ensure their continued well being.

In order to properly address the issue of brutality, or better yet described as violence within the County jails, requires a healthy organizational culture within the entire department, one that values the services provided by those who are assigned to the County jails.  There needs to be a robust force prevention effort, coupled with quality training that complies with Standards of Training for Corrections (STC), mandated by the state.  Accountability for force and force prevention policies are vital.  They cannot be so absolute, however, that they hinder the ability of deputies to make sound decisions in critical situations.

The jails have become more violent in general due to a variety of reasons, including prison reallignment (AB109), and a catastrophic decision made in the last few years to classify high security inmates and house them based on their behavior, instead of intelligence that shows their involvement in leading organized prison gangs.  Policies that reward assaultive behavior from inmates and tie the hands of deputies to defend themselves have caused assaults on staff, including non-sworn personnel, to skyrocket.  

Deputies are severely understaffed in the jails, which leaves the officer to inmate ratio dangerously high and an open invitation to test security.  As sheriff I will take steps to fully staff all County jails, and provide the level of supervision required to give proper oversight of deputies while they do their jobs.  Allegations of excessive force need to be investigated promptly, and decisions made based on actual evidence available.  There needs to be a robust complaint system in place as well, one that does not allow complaints to slip through the cracks or be intentionally ignored by supervisors or managers.  The Inspector General can play a role as well, providing an external third party source to lodge complaints.

Sheriff McDonnell believes that jail isn't the appropriate place for the treatment of the mentally ill.  McDonnell has quadrupled the number of response teams that pair patrol deputies with mental health workers to divert some inmate patients into community treatment programs. The Sheriff is working with the Board of Supervisors on a new correctional facility for inmate patients in need of mental health care and substance abuse programs. This new facility is intended to be a national model that unites the County's mental health and medical professionals to provide compassionate care for this population while focusing on public safety.    

McDonnell served on a commission where he gained awareness of the problems plaguing the jail system.  The Commission issued a report with 63 recommendations, which McDonnell aggressively uses as a baseline for change within jails.

McDonnell negotiated agreements with the Department of Justice to increase staffing, training, and the oversight of federal monitors. Since 2014, the federal monitors report a 'sea change' inside jails in the reduction of use of force and increased deputy morale, resulting in a decline in inmate complaints.  This is the result of increased accountability with supervision, cameras in facilities, and de-escalation training techniques for deputies.