Up to one-third of those in Los Angeles County jails can’t get to their court appearances because of a shortage of functioning buses, the county reported on Tuesday, March 19.
A breakdown in the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department’s inmate transportation system has kept seven jails in the county system overcrowded with inmates who might have been released by a judge, or sentenced to serve time in a state prison — if they had appeared in court.
The situation — which includes Men’s Central Jail — is aggravated by the fact that about 52% of those in county lockdowns are awaiting pretrial and have not been sentenced for a crime. Many sit in jail because they can’t post bail. Others are awaiting sentencing. The average daily inmate population in the system was about 12,177 in 2023.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, voted to implement an interim plan to bring in more working buses to move inmates to court who await a decision on their cases. The lack of buses can leave inmates in jail cells, aggravating overcrowding at Men’s Central Jail seen here on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors committed to closing Men’s Central Jail in 2021, but the efforts to depopulate the overcrowded, outdated facility is being hampered by what many see as a fixable problem — one that neither the Board nor the Sheriff’s Department has been able to correct in the last few years.
“Transportation should not be a barrier to administering justice. Having individuals sit in our jails because we can’t transport them to court is simply unacceptable,” said Third District LA County Supervisor and board chair Lindsey Horvath, during the supervisors’ meeting on Tuesday.
The frustration on the part of the five supervisors was evident, as they discussed a problem that is getting worse despite their efforts. The board included in its current budget funding for the sheriff’s department to buy 20 additional buses but that had not happened as of Tuesday. The board said it will take up to 1 1/2 years for the new buses to arrive and be fortified with security renovations so they can be used for transporting inmates to courts throughout the county.
In fact, the sheriff’s department has not received a single new bus since 2018, reported First District Supervisor Hilda Solis. With buses breaking down and not being repaired, the jail system has only 23 operable buses out of 82 buses, Solis reported.
“The sheriff’s department has said they’ve even gone down to as low as six buses,” said Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger.
Solis said the buses currently in operation — which the county report said take 1,500 inmates daily to courthouses, medical appointments or to state prison — may not last through the end of the year.
“Why are the buses so important? Due to inoperable buses they (inmates) are missing their court dates,” said Solis, who co-authored the motion with Horvath. The board voted 5-0 to approve the motion to develop an interim bus transportation plan that can be put in place before new buses arrive.
The plan includes asking neighboring counties if they have any buses they are not using and asking the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to help transport prisoners to state prisons. A report on whether these options are feasible, and also finding new sources of funding, will come back to the board in 45 days.
Barger suggested the county put more vans into service, which are also used to transport inmates. To buy new buses, she suggested the county work in concert with transit agencies familiar with purchasing buses, including Foothill Transit and LA Metro to perhaps work deals for better prices.
Fourth District Supervisor Janice Hahn suggested that the courts and the county public defender’s office use remote technology to complete more court appearances quicker.
She also wanted county CEO Fesia Davenport and the sheriff’s department to look into smarter ways to buy new buses. “We need to look long-term at how we are procuring buses that work,” Hahn said.
It costs the county between $1.2 million and $1.6 million each year to maintain the fleet of aging buses, according to the approved motion.
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