Ten jail employees at the Los Angeles County Jail were relieved of duty Friday, after allegedly handcuffing and starving an inmate for 32 hours.
Back in June, a man brought to the Inmate Reception Center was given food and medical attention. But that may have been the only meal he received for more than a day. According to a statement from the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, “The inmate ate upon entry to the jail, but was allegedly restrained for approximately 32 hours; during that time he received medical attention and a cup of water.” The inmate filed a complaint a few days later, which made its way to Sheriff Jim McDonnell last Thursday. The 10 employees — including a sergeant, a senior deputy, and several lieutenants — were relieved of duty within 24 hours.
The Sheriff’s Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau and Internal Affairs Bureau are currently investigating the complaint. In addition to looking into the jail workers’ behavior, officials have promised to evaluate “corrective policies and procedures” and revisit employee training.
Although the department’s punitive measures were swift, additional forms of abuse and staff misconduct in L.A. jails have previously been swept under the rug. Just last year, a former sheriff’s deputy testified that guards routinely Tasered, slapped, and beat inmates for no reason. The admission was made in court during a lengthy federal investigation into L.A. county jails, which are rife with excessive force and corruption. The ongoing investigation led to the conviction of three deputies in June, who handcuffed and brutally beat a man who brought a phone into the Men’s Central Jail while visiting his brother.