Prison Effects on People of Color in South Central Los Angeles

Prison Effects on People of Color in South Los Angeles

Blacks and Latinx people in South Los Angeles rate continues to increase every single day.  Basic human rights are being violated everyday in the criminal justice system. The Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles one third of inmates are in need of mental-health treatment (Stiles). The use of solitary confinement in prisons has shown to impact prisoners the most. Solitary confinements work to socially isolate individuals and derive them of environmental enthusiasm. Psychologically solitary confinement tends to cause those with and without mental issues to go insane (ACLU). People of color in South Central are directly impacted by this issue since they are the largest groups imprisoned. They also tend to be the most detained and arrested in my community (Poston). The focus is to help inmates from the community, and the community itself to give more opportunities. To give inmates a source where they can change, get a job and continue on the right path. After serving time, no one wants to hire an old felon, so creating this opportunity for the minorities can help them have something to rely on and be hired. Most felons continuously go back to prison because they don't have the resources to be better.

Washington & Central, KCET IMAGE

Statistics & Facts

The following statistics are from The Los Angeles Almanac Website

Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County jail system is one of the largest jails in the United States

• In 2020, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, had a total budget of $3.3 billion, with $890 million of that spent on the jail system. That included $830 million for payroll and benefits; $58.6 million for services and supplies; and $1.1 million for property items and equipment. Source: CEO of Los Angeles County.
• In 2019, Los Angeles County had an average daily inmate population of 17,070 within its jail system. 
• In 2019, there were 4,053 more inmates in custody than Los Angeles County’s jails are rated to hold. The county is about 128-187% overcrowded.
• The Racial Demographic : Los Angeles County’s jail population in 2019 was 53% Hispanic, 29% African American, and 15% White. This goes to show how people of color are the most incarcerated race.
• Los Angeles County’s jail system is also the  largest mental health institution in the nation. The number of inmates in the Los Angeles County jail system with mental health problems increased 143% from 2010 through 2019.
• In the final quarter of 2019, inmates with mental health problems accounted for 35% of the entire jail inmate population.
  
  

The Following Information is from The Los Angeles Time Article:‘No more jails,’ just mental health centers. Is that a realistic policy for L.A. County?   Written by Matt Stiles

This article writes on the conditions of the Men’s Central Jail, and the effort being made to build a jail-like mental health treatment center. However, jail-reform activists weren’t successful after the Board of Supervisors didn’t sign a $1.7 billion contract for it. Supervisors agree of the need for treatment centers, but would like to see a different approach. The article states how there is more funding and attention being brought to this issue, however thousands are still being imprisoned. A third of the inmates in Men’s Central Jail are in need of mental-health treatment. Inmates aren’t given access to clinicians, further proving the abuse inmates continue to face. Mental health experts and county officials are said to be working for a solution to better how inmates are treated.

Community Member Interview

Interviewee Name: Luis Redondo

Interviewing Position: Former Inmate 

Question 1: How much time were you incarcerated for? Did you notice anyone struggling with mental illness and it not be treated?

Response: I was in jail for 8 and a half years in total. After serving the first five years, I was arrested again which was where I did the rest of the time. There were many inmates struggling with mental illnesses in the federal prison I was in. This group of people were separated from others and treated. There was a separate psychologist center to help these individuals. Some however were put in isolation, further worsening their condition. Due to their mental illness, I would think it would be better for them to attend an actual mental-health center, but that’s just not how the criminal justice system works. 

Question 2: How has prison time affected you? 

Response: Prison time has emotionally affected me. The feeling of missing home and family was the worst part. Eight years in jail took a lot from my life. I feel like that time has been stolen from me. In the county jail, the food provided was bad, there was a change in the federal prisons though. County jails were very unsanitary. 

Question 3: What part was the most difficult, lack of resources/needs? 

Response: Knowing I was doing too much time for something I didn’t do was always on my mind. Also, missing family. There was also a lot of abuse of power by guards, officers, making some upset and angry about their situation. Clothing could’ve been better, since washing one’s own clothes was a struggle in prison. In addition, there being too many people was overwhelming. Everyone did different things.  

Question 4: Is there anything you can think of that can help reform the criminal justice system?

Response: More people can help invest their time in helping innocent prisoners receive justice. For instance, writing letters to federal prisons where petitions are considered. Also, using government money wisely to improve prison conditions or work to come up with a better solution other than prisons would be helpful. Investing in bettering the community.
Question 5: Are there any comments, questions, or other information that you would like to add or ask?

Response: I would add that fights in prisons increase as more people enter. Solitary confinement is used as punishment. Six months was given to those initiating fights, which is too long in my opinion. Solitary can affect a person in many ways, especially mentally. As a consequence, inmates involved in fights would also be at risk of doing more time. There is way more that could be said about the criminal justice system.

Reflection on Interview

Being able to interview a former inmate has helped me realize how much help the inmates need in order to be treated like a human being. Despite all the problems an inmate got themselves into, they need to be given the human needs especially if they are the responsibility of the system. I got more of a sense of how prisons affect inmates. It’s beyond mental, emotional, and physical abuse. Mental illness can be seen in jails, prisons, anywhere. I discovered from a more personal view how unfair the criminal justice system is and how far it goes to imprison someone. This interview further proved how the government's goal is to profit off of prisoner’s labor. I learned of differences found in county jails and federal prisons. Such as different foods and its sanitary conditions. Also, the abuse of power shown and how prisoners are always made to feel inferior.

Proposing A Solution

A solution can be building mental health centers where individuals with mental illnesses can be helped instead of being imprisoned and worsening their conditions. Also, helping individuals find jobs and fit back into society would help prevent them from being imprisoned again. When being on probation, it is easier for a person to be incarcerated again, keeping the cycle of the prison industrial complex going. More people can become involved in protesting for human rights and spreading a voice into unfairness brought by the criminal justice system. 

Government officials can help with this issue by looking into Los Angeles jails and making sure that they’re in good conditions. That prisoner’s human rights are not being violated and that police officers do not abuse their power. In addition, that those with mental illnesses are being treated .This issue can be improved by recognizing that we are all part of this because we pay taxes and that's where it goes, that the national shame over our prison system is affecting us all, and it's getting worse every day. Let people know that we have to become more mindful of what we say and who and what we vote for, because that affects the situation.

The Motive for Change

This issue is important to me because there are billions of dollars being invested into building new prisons. The Los Angeles County has such a huge budget that they're not making the best out of to help the inmates. There are also better ways to spend taxpayer money, like investing in the community, education, or better prison conditions. Mental health centers can also be built instead of continuing to build more jails. Since I am Latinx myself, I see that the discrimination and prejudice continues to increase in my community and something should be done about it. This is important to me since members of my own family have been affected by the criminal justice system. I feel so interested in this social issue because there are many ways to give opportunities and spends all the extra money, dont we want less inmates? Don't we want better and safer communities? I'm tired of people looking at South Los Angeles as the ghetto and dangerous place, we want more opportunities to help emotionally, physically and mentally.

Work Cited

ACLU. “Abuse Of The Human Rights Of Prisoners In The United States: Solitary Confinement.” American Civil Liberties Union, www.aclu.org/other/abuse-human-rights-prisoners-united-states-solitary-confinement.

“Los Angeles County Jail System By the Numbers.” Los Angeles County Jail System by the Numbers, www.laalmanac.com/crime/cr25b.php.

Poston, Ben. “LAPD Searches Blacks and Latinos More. But They're Less Likely to Have Contraband than Whites.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2019, www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-lapd-searches-20190605-story.html.

Stiles, Matt. “'No More Jails,' Just Mental Health Centers. Is That a Realistic Policy for L.A. County?” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2019, www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-08-24/jail-replacement-mental-health-facility-inmate-supervisors-criminal-justice-reform.