California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on September 8, alleging persistent unconstitutional and inhumane conditions at county jails.

The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court and follows a civil rights investigation initiated by the California Attorney General’s Office in 2021.

The big picture: Despite some progress in patrol operations, Bonta criticized the Sheriff’s Department and Sheriff Alex Villanueva for resisting meaningful jail reforms. • The investigation found ongoing constitutional violations including increased in-custody deaths despite a declining jail population, overcrowded and uninhabitable facilities, broken plumbing and inadequate temperature control and denial of adequate medical

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