Jun. 4, 2026
Kowalczyk gives LA County a constitutional path out of its jail crisis
Los Angeles County's rising in-custody deaths amid overcrowding and inadequate care underscore a constitutional and moral crisis in its jails, one that the California Supreme Court's In re Kowalczyk decision now seeks to address.
In my March 5 op-ed in these pages, "Los Angeles County jails are failing the people they hold," I described the preventable deaths occurring behind bars: 46 people died in county custody in 2025, with 10 more already in the first months of 2026. Overdoses, suicides and neglected medical needs continue despite Sheriff Robert Luna's acknowledgment that 2026 is "not off to a g...
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