The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a comprehensive proposal on March 3 authored by Supervisor Janice Hahn, 4th District, to reduce deaths in county jails through stronger accountability, improved safety practices and increased transparency across multiple departments.

“As long as people are in our custody, they are on our care, and we have a duty to protect their lives,” Hahn said. “This effort is about increasing accountability, acting with urgency and doing better – now.”

Supervisors Hahn, Hilda Solis, 1st District; Holly Mitchell, 2nd District; and Lindsey Horvath, 3rd District; approved the motion, with Supervisor Kathryn Barger, 5th District abstaining.

Hahn introduced the motion after an alarming increase in deaths in county custody. In the first two months of 2026, 10 people died in L.A. County jails. Throughout 2025, 45 people died in county jails.

The motion builds on a previous motion Hahn authored in 2025 and responds to resulting findings from reports and presentations by the sheriff’s department, county health agencies and oversight bodies.

The motion requires that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department ensure screening of everyone – including staff – entering jail facilities to reduce drug inflow. It also calls for the sheriff’s department to improve and randomize safety checks with greater supervisor oversight, and increase the use of cameras and surveillance systems. The motion requires expanded access to Naloxone throughout jail facilities to prevent overdoses. People in custody will be granted expanded access to grievance and medical request forms. The motion also seeks increased transparency with the public by adding facility names to the LASD In-Custody Death Dashboard.

The motion directs the Department of Health Services’ Correctional Health Services division to report back on options to reduce overdose deaths, identify best practices to prevent substance use-related fatalities and ensure emergency medical equipment, including defibrillators, is functional and available.

Hahn emphasized that the human toll of in-custody deaths is compounded by a significant financial cost to taxpayers. Over the past five years, Los Angeles County has spent millions of dollars on settlements and judgments related to deaths in custody, she said.

The board called on the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Department of Health Services’ Correctional Health Services division, the Office of Inspector General, Auditor-Controller and Department of Medical Examiner to implement reforms within 120 days and report back on progress, funding needs and staffing requirements. For information, visit lacounty.gov/government/board-of-supervisors/janice-hahn.