Nearly every inmate in the jail unit had a cough. Inside their cells, mold coated ceilings, streaked down walls and crept onto mattresses.

It was stuffy, humid and the air smelled of smoke.

Despite wearing a mask, Sybil Brand Commissioner Haley Broder struggled to breathe as she and another inspector walked through the 2300 housing unit during an October 2024 inspection at Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles.

As they left the unit, she broke into a fit of wheezing coughs.

“There had been a flood or something in that area and there was mold everywhere,” she said later in an interview. “Everyone was coughing or had some respiratory issue going on.”

The air quality wasn’t the only issue. Water had been cut off to several of the cells and inmates had turned to filling bags to pass to their neighbors, the inspectors found.

Nearly half of the 26 cells did not have functioning lights. Three more were on the fritz. Discarded meals and trash piled up in the aisle outside the cells and visible insect bites could be seen on the men’s arms and faces throughout the row. Cockroaches openly skittered across the floor.

Inmates hadn’t received kits of basic hygienic supplies since their arrival to the housing unit weeks earlier, they said. Some told the inspectors they used pages from books soaked in water as toilet paper, according to an inspection report.

Broder, a social worker appointed in January 2024 to the county’s Sybil Brand Commission for Institutional Inspections, has worked in war-torn countries, disaster zones and refugee camps around the world. She described her visits to Men’s Central Jail, a facility run by a department with a $4 billion annual budget, over the last year and a half as “horrific.”

“These are some of the worst conditions I’ve ever seen,” she said.

Inhumane conditions well-known

That was a single day in a single unit within Los Angeles County’s most notorious jail. Anywhere else, it may have set off alarm bells. But the conditions in Men’s Central Jail are hardly a secret. In fact, if there is one topic that politicians, advocates and law enforcement unequivocally agree on in Los Angeles County, it is that Men’s Central Jail should no longer exist.

For half a decade, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has agreed that closing Men’s Central Jail is critical, though how exactly that would happen and what — if anything — would replace it have been debated to exhaustion. The supervisors voted 4-1 in June 2021 to set up a team to finally implement the long-promised closure. Estimates at the time suggested it would take about two years to redistribute and reduce the jail’s population enough to shutter the building.

Four years later, the closure team told county leaders in April that it needed another six to nine months to complete its assessment on how to proceed.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, who describes Men’s Central as the largest mental health institute in the nation, openly calls the facility his department runs “horrible.” He is pushing for the county to build a modern replacement instead, but a majority of the supervisors are adamant they will not build more jails.

“The Department recognizes the aging infrastructure of Men’s Central Jail and the subsequent challenges that are associated with providing modern care in such an environment,” the Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. “It is for this and many other reasons why Sheriff Robert Luna is advocating and proposing to replace the dilapidating facility with a state-of-the-art Care Campus facility, designed to provide rehabilitative services for those individuals remanded to our care.”

Amid the seemingly endless stalemate, thousands of men — many of whom are accused of crimes, but not convicted — continue to live in overcrowded squalor. Some units still utilize triple bunks, or have people sleeping on the floors, according to the commission’s inspections.

While L.A. County officials often lay the blame on the building, Broder and others say much more could be done to alleviate inhumane conditions.

‘People dying in these jails’

The Sybil Brand Commission’s 11 inspections since April 2024 leave no doubt that Men’s Central Jail, opened in 1963, is physically deteriorating, but nearly every inspection also describes instances of neglect and mistreatment.

“We have asked the sheriff nonstop for corrective action plans to see what changes they’re going to implement and what they’re going to do, and we’re not seeing the changes,” Broder said. “The status quo is not acceptable. There are people dying in these jails, there are people being actively hurt by these jails.”

During a visit to one of the overcrowded units in June 2024, commissioners observed inmates covered in rashes and suffering from what appeared to be bacterial staph infections. The men told the commissioners the rashes were getting worse and they hadn’t received any cleaning supplies or medications.

“There is no respect and dignity at Men’s Central Jail whatsoever,” Broder said.

Trash everywhere

Almost every report mentioned excessive trash and dirty environments.

“In one cell, because of malfunctioning doors, the cell had simply been abandoned and entire bunks were filled with trash,” the commissioners wrote in May 2024. Inmates in that unit said they could exit their cells whenever they wanted to, though they did not “for fear of being put on discipline.”

“Incarcerated people complained that they missed out on court dates or yard exercise because they were stuck in a malfunctioning cell,” the commissioners wrote. “Others expressed concern that if there was a catastrophic event, such as an earthquake or fire, they would be unable to exit their cell.”

Inspectors reportedly found rat droppings and rotting food in kitchens and mess halls. Mold was visible during at least half of the visits.

“There was lots of trash and the row was incredibly moldy, with each vent covered in about one foot square of black mold, and black mold stretching down the walls,” commissioners wrote of an overcrowded unit in August 2024. “The incarcerated people expressed concerns about rats, cockroaches and flies. Many of the men had pasted plastic over their vents to prevent rats entering, and some had placed bottles across the front of the cells to alert them should a rat try to enter. “

Commissioners had raised concerns about inmates not receiving kits with soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste in that same unit four months earlier, yet when they asked inmates about it that August, they learned deputies were now conducting “lottery games” for a chance to win a kit.

Supply chain shortage blamed

In a statement, the Sheriff’s Department stated that a “temporary supply chain shortage” had affected the availability of the kits and that it has now been resolved.

“All inmates, regardless of their length of time within a custody facility who are unable to supply themselves with the above listed personal care items, will be provided the needed item upon request,” the department stated. “The Department is dedicated to providing important hygiene supplies, such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, and toilet paper, in order to uphold health and sanitation standards.”

Asked about the significant amounts of mold described in the reports, officials stated that some cases of mold actually may have been “discoloration, water stains or aging paint that requires touch ups.”

“Each housing unit follows a regular cleaning schedule, which is carried out by both custody staff and incarcerated workers, with supervision to ensure that standards are maintained,” the statement reads. “Nevertheless, we take all sanitation concerns seriously. If mold is identified or suspected, it is assessed and addressed by environmental health professionals where necessary.”

Makeshift mop: socks and a handle

The Sybil Brand Commission’s reports describe inmates using their own clothes, towels and makeshift tools to clean their areas and, in some cases, not being given replacements for the sullied items. During an inspection in March this year, commissioners noticed someone had made a mop out of a plastic handle and two pairs of socks to clean the floors. The same problem existed in that unit nearly a year earlier as well.

“The people incarcerated in 5800 dorm complained that cleaning supplies were not sufficient to maintain the dorm in a sanitary condition,” commissioners wrote in May 2024. “The mop was a long plastic handle, but the head of the mop was missing: the folks in the unit used towels or clothes instead. The bucket lacked wheels, and there was no broom.”

In its statement, the Sheriff’s Department said it “routinely provides incarcerated individuals with cleaning supplies to promote sanitation and personal hygiene within the housing units.”

“Over the past year, we’ve strengthened our distribution schedules and enhanced oversight to ensure that essential items, such as soap, disinfectant and cleaning tools, are consistently available,” the statement reads.

The commission’s inspection reports detail pervasive plumbing issues that can leave dozens of detainees with only a few working toilets or showers.

“One individual was not getting his inhaler nor his asthma medication,” commissioners wrote in May 2024. “His cell was without a working toilet. A pipe was broken in his cell and he used his clothes to soak the water up. There was a large amount of mold and mildew in the cell and he complained of the presence of rats and cockroaches.”

During that same inspection, a deputy performing safety checks walked past a noose hanging in a partially obscured cell. When commissioners went to report it to deputies, they found eight officers gathered around a monitor watching pornography. There was a stack of “about eight videos next to the computer monitor.”

No showers for a week

There were multiple instances over the year-and-a-half in which inmates complained they hadn’t been given access to showers by deputies for a week or more.

A May 2025 inspection found a man with a contagious eye infection had been left in his cell in a medical unit for six days “without a phone, without any indoor or outdoor recreation, and no access to reading materials or a shower.”

“This area was isolated, dirty and seemed to be a place where people are thrown into a cell and forgotten about,” commissioners wrote. “LASD reported that they rely on medical staff to determine when someone leaves this area. Nevertheless, a serious problem existed in providing people with humane conditions in this row.”

Sometimes, there isn’t access to drinkable water and bottled water isn’t readily provided. Other times, the few working showers will run nonstop for days or weeks, or only produce scalding temperatures, contributing to the humidity and mold.

“In 4300D, at least three cells lacked any cold water, and the incarcerated people had developed a system, using plastic bottles and strings, of passing cold water from those cells that had it to those that did not,” commissioners wrote last year. “The showers constantly dripping rendering the unit extremely humid. In addition, there was a strong smell of fire burning. There was trash everywhere along the row.”

During a different inspection in October, a unit with 69 men in it had only two working showers and only five working toilets out of 12. Two months later, another unit had only one phone for 100 inmates, limiting access to family members and attorneys.

In a statement, the Sheriff’s Department said it utilizes internal software to “guarantee” that all repairs are completed on time.

“Critical repairs that affect the safety and well-being of the incarcerated individuals are prioritized as emergencies,” the department stated. “MCJ collaborates closely with maintenance personnel and leadership to ensure that urgent repairs are addressed promptly.”

Cameras inoperable

In May, 119 security cameras were simultaneously broken.

Two months earlier, a group of inmates ganged up on a deputy, beating him and stabbing him in the head with a shank. The group then attacked the three officers who came to his rescue. None of it was caught on cameras because several hundred cameras were offline for maintenance that day, too, according to the L.A. Times.

The Sheriff’s Department stated that “technical interruptions” occurred as part of an upgrade to the camera system and its power supply. Once completed, the new supply will better meet the demand of cameras in certain areas, according to the statement.

Commissioners visited the unit where the March attack occurred two days later and found blood on the walls and fire retardant covering the floor and inmates’ personal items. There were no fans brought in, or masks offered to the inmates, who felt they were being retaliated against. The powder moved through the air whenever someone opened a door and the men said they had sore throats and were having trouble breathing.

“Upon receiving the report from the Sybil Brand Commission, we quickly reviewed the findings and took appropriate actions to address their concerns,” the Sheriff’s Department said in its statement. “This included cleanup efforts where needed and ensuring the safety of individuals in the affected areas. Correctional Health Services was notified of the concerns in order to address the medical needs of the incarcerated individuals.”

Fires started to warm food

Elsewhere, fires are started to warm consistently cold food. When the L.A. Times reported on the frequency of the fires in 2023, the Sheriff’s Department took away the batteries that inmates used to power radios and to, in some cases, ignite their makeshift grills.

But the food continued to arrive cold and the smell of smoke never stopped, Broder said. “The solution to that should not be to take away the radios, it should be to give warm food,” she said.

The Sheriff’s Department revealed a new pilot program to ensure meals stay warm during the Sybil Brand Commission’s June meeting. Commissioners had flagged complaints about the food for years.

“There are things that can be done, we’ve seen that,” Broder said. “It’s taken a lot of pushing and a lot of angry articles to make it actually happen.”

Supervisors mostly mum

Only one of the five county supervisors responded to requests for comment. In a statement, Supervisor Hilda Solis agreed with Sheriff Luna that Men’s Central Jail is a “dilapidated facility that must close,” but she reiterated that the county “must not replace one failing jail with another” and instead should invest in improving conditions and expanding programs that prevent incarceration to begin with.

“While the age of Men’s Central Jail contributes to longstanding infrastructure challenges, it does not excuse the broader failures in basic care and custody,” she stated. “No one in our custody should be denied access to clean air, safe living conditions or the most basic hygiene.”

Realizing the vision of closing Men’s Central “requires action and, quite honestly, funding,” she said. The county must “accelerate the expansion of community-based housing and treatment, call on the courts to move people through the system and push for legislation that supports a full continuum of care with enough capacity to meet the demand.”

“At the same time, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department must do more to ensure that conditions inside our existing jails meet minimum standards of health and safety,” she said. “That includes consistent access to cleaning and hygiene supplies, clean clothing, bedding, and meals, as well as prompt responses when living conditions pose a threat to people’s wellbeing.”

The Sheriff’s Department pointed to Sybil Brand Commission reports as evidence of the need for modern correction facilities that rehabilitate, not just temporarily house individuals, and for “continual investment in our Los Angeles County criminal institutions.”

“Failing to properly invest in our system results in the further victimization of individuals who do not qualify for diversion/community placement and subsequently fail to receive a constitutional level of care hindering their overall rehabilitation needs,” the statement reads.

Replacing the building might help with plumbing problems, or air conditioning, but it is not going to “fix any of the problems related to the abject neglect of the people that are there,” said Melissa Camacho, a senior staff attorney for the ACLU of Southern California. The department has a $4 billion budget, but doesn’t allocate enough funds for cleaning or maintenance, she said.

“There are some things that money can help, but the Sheriff’s Department receives enough money from the county, they just need to spend it in custody,” Camacho said.

Report after report has shown that the county could reduce the jail population by funding more pretrial and diversion programs to steer people to mental health, substance abuse and other alternatives to incarceration, she said. A lower population would allow Men’s Central to be closed without a replacement.

“It is so frustrating that everyone knows the problems and yet they are not willing to move the mountain it would take to build up these community services,” Camacho said. “People have gotten numb to the horrors and I don’t know what its going to take to jolt the county out of their paralysis.”