Inmate James Evans, 29, Died While In Custody At The Men’s Central Jail In Los Angeles County

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (November 7, 2023) – A 29-year-old inmate identified as James Evans has tragically died while in-custody at the Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles County police officials are saying that the incident took place on October 1. Correctional officers noticed that James Evans was in some type of distress.

Paramedics were called to the scene in order to help the man . Sadly, James Evans was later pronounce dead.

Few details about the circumstances leading up to his death have been released thus far. There have been 15 deaths this year at the Men’s Central Jail.

 

Liability For Inmate Deaths At The Men’s Central Jail

The Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles has a long and sordid history of inmate neglect and abuse. According to the Vera Institute of Justice, “The death toll in LA jails is driven by severe overcrowding, inadequate care inside jails, and a failure to offer robust alternatives to incarceration. A horrifying video smuggled out of Men’s Central Jail in June, which shows jail staff neglecting to intervene in a violent assault that stretched for more than ten minutes, underscores the urgent need to reduce the jail population and expand community-based alternatives to incarceration.” There are many reasons that inmates have died in Los Angeles County jails.

• Inmates may die after attacks by other inmates.
• Inmates may die due to inadequate medical care for their health conditions.
• Inmates may die due to drug overdoses.
• Inmates may die in suicides.

All jails have a legal obligation to provide inmates with reasonably adequate healthcare. Failing to provide inmates adequate healthcare is a violation of the U.S. Constitution’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. In particular, when a jail is deliberately indifferent to the serious medical needs of an inmate, this could form the basis of a constitutional claim. A jail may have shown deliberate indifference in a number of ways.

• A jail may have failed to allow inmates to see doctors to treat their pre-existing health conditions.
• A jail may have failed to give an inmate the medication that they required.
• A jail may have failed to help an inmate in the midst of a drug withdrawal or overdose.

A large portion of in-custody deaths are preventable. They tend to involve some amount of jail medical neglect. This includes instances where inmates supposedly die of “natural” causes. Many deaths listed as “natural” involved inmates with treatable illnesses. The family of any person that died in jail may have legal recourse through a constitutional claim. A civil rights attorney can examine the unique facts of your case free of cost and let you know what your legal options are.

 

Investigating Inmate Deaths At The Men’s Central Jail

We at the Sehat Law Firm extend our deepest condolences to the family of James Evans. There needs to be a thorough investigation into what went wrong. More than one person every month has died at the Men’s Central Jail in 2023. It is our sincere hope that steps are taken to prevent other tragedies like this.

Do you need more information about an in-custody death at the Men’s Central Jail? Our team of civil rights advocates are here to help in any way that we can. We are committed to helping inmates and families impacted by jail medical neglect. Whether you just have legal questions or need a free, independent investigation into any incident we are here for you. You can reach out to us anytime at (949) 825-5200.