Quick Links for Family and Advocates

Resources

Read special instructions for providing information about inmates with mental health needs

Organizations

Death Penalty Focus advocates for the end of the death penalty.
The Innocence Project helps the wrongly convicted with death row cases.
Truth in Justice educates about the flaws in the US justice system.
ACLU National Prison Project seeks improvement through education and legislative action.
Californians United for a Responsible Budget or CURB is a broad-based coalition of over 40 organizations, including the ACLU/SC, seeking to cut prison spending by reducing incarceration rates.
County of Los Angeles Office of Independent Review is a civilian board that investigates allegations of misconduct within the LA Sheriff’s Office.
Legal Services for Prisoners with Children provides specialized assistance for this unique population.
Justice Now advocates for female prisoners.
Prison Law Office focuses on the constitutional rights of the incarcerated.
Just Detention International works to put an end to sexual violence against men, women, and youth in all forms of detention. To achieve this goal, SPR seeks to: engender policies that ensure government accountability for prisoner rape; change ill-informed public attitudes toward sexual assault behind bars; and promote access to resources for survivors of this type of violence. Contact Melissa Rothstein, Esq.
Friends Outside provides a range of services for families of the incarcerated.

Address:
Friends Outside
464 E. Walnut Street
Pasadena, CA 91101.
Tel: (626) 795-7607

Public Defender’s Office represents LA County inmates
LA County Department of Ombudsman is an independent Los Angeles County department created by the Board of Supervisors to provide assistance to the residents of Los Angeles County.
Patients’ Rights. For assistance with mental health questions or complaints in the jails, please contact:

Address:
Patients’ Rights Office/Department of Mental Health
550 S. Vermont Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90020
Tel: (800) 700-9996

News

LA's Central Problem

April 27, 2009 — Los Angeles County has the largest, most expensive jail system in the nation, incarcerating 20,000 men and women at a cost of $1 billion per year. But when the ACLU released a report earlier this month detailing the nightmarish conditions in the 5,000-bed Men's Central Jail and calling for its closure, Sheriff Lee Baca responded with a plan to spend almost $1 billion more for new jail facilities.

Inmates with Disabilities Face Discrimination in Los Angeles County Jails

May 29, 2008

L.A. County Jails Plan Offers Long-Overdue Relief From Overcrowding and Inhumane Conditions

March 13, 2008

Examining the Future of Criminal Justice in Los Angeles

During a recent conference examining the present and future of criminal justice in the city, ACLU/SC Senior Counsel Melinda Bird spoke truth to the powerful leaders of civic life and law enforcement about the true cost of business as usual. "We have an addiction to mass incarceration, and it is an expensive addiction." A 21st Century Criminal Justice System for Los Angeles: A Look at the Present, A Model for the Future and a Blueprint for Media Coverage, was organized by USC Annenberg's Institute for Justice and Journalism. Designed to be a solution-driven gathering of experts and activists, the event included LAPD Chief William Bratton, LA County Sheriff Lee Baca. Read the full article.