Men's Central Jail

Men's Central Jail (MCJ)
Map
LocationLos Angeles, California
Coordinates34°03′32″N 118°13′56″W / 34.0590°N 118.2321°W / 34.0590; -118.2321
StatusOperational
Security classMinimum–Maximum
Capacity5,276
Population4,300[1]
Opened1963
Managed byLos Angeles County Sheriff's Department
Websitewebsite

Men's Central Jail is a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department county jail for men in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States. Built in 1963, it is one of the oldest county jails in California. The Men's Central Jail is located at 441 Bauchet St., Los Angeles 90012. The Men's Central Jail houses men who are awaiting trial or who have been convicted of crimes.

The Men's Central Jail is considered one of the largest jails in the world.[2][3][4][5][1][6] In May 2013, along with the adjacent Twin Towers Correctional Facility, Men's Central Jail was ranked as one of the ten worst prisons in the United States, based on reporting in Mother Jones magazine.[7]

On July 7, 2020, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted 4–0 to pursue a plan to close the Men's Central Jail within 12 months.[8] In voting to eventually close the 57-year-old facility, county supervisors said they wanted to focus on community-based programs to treat mental health challenges of those entering and exiting the jail system administered by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The vote came amid deliberate inmate reductions during outbreaks of COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement protests over police violence and the murder of George Floyd.[9]

  1. ^ a b Sewell, Abby (9 June 2015). "County supervisors vote to reconsider size of new Men's Central Jail". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  2. ^ Medina, Jennifer (28 September 2011). "Report Details Wide Abuse in Los Angeles Jail System". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  3. ^ Don Thompson, Associated Press (2 February 2015). "Infographic: County jail populations across California dip after Prop 47 - 89.3 KPCC". Southern California Public Radio. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  4. ^ Ucar, Ani (18 November 2014). "In the Gay Wing of L.A. Men's Central Jail, It's Not Shanks and Muggings But Hand-Sewn Gowns and Tears". LA Weekly. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  5. ^ "Cell breakouts, attacks 'easy' in outdated Men's Central Jail". ABC7 Los Angeles. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  6. ^ "At least one inmate stabbed in riot at Los Angeles jail". Reuters. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  7. ^ James Ridgeway and Jean Casella (8 May 2013). "America's 10 Worst Prisons: LA County". Mother Jones. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  8. ^ "LA County Votes To Initiate Plan To Close Men's Central Jail Within The Year". Losangeles.cbslocal.com. 2020-07-07. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
  9. ^ "L.A. County seeks plan to close aging Men's Central Jail in a year". Los Angeles Times. 2020-07-08. Retrieved 2020-07-10.