Inmate Masoud Rahmati, 50, Died In Suspected Homicide While In Custody At The Men’s Central Jail In Los Angeles County

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (October 19, 2023) – A man identified as Masoud Rahmati has tragically died in a suspected attack while he was staying at the Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles County officials are saying that the incident took place on June 13. Masoud Rahmati was attacked during pre-dawn hours by other inmates.

He was left to die for nearly four hours before correctional officers noticed that something was wrong. Medical staff began life-saving measures in order to help him.

Despite those efforts, Masoud Rahmati later died due to his injuries. This has renewed numerous concerns about the amount of supervision and care that inmates are receiving across Los Angeles County.

 

Liability For Men’s Central Jail Inmate Deaths

The Men’s Central Jail has become infamous for all of the mistreatment and neglect inmates have had to endure while staying there. In fact, 13 inmates have died just this year at the Men’s Central Jail. According to the Vera Institute of Justice, 37 people have died across Los Angeles County jails this year alone. Inmates at LA jails have allegedly been subjected to numerous forms of mistreatment including:

• Not being given medical care for pre-exisiting health conditions.
• Not being given mental healthcare.
• Being verbally and physically abused by correctional officers.

Depending on the facts of any case, a jail could be liable for the death of an inmate in their care. This is true even if the inmate that died was attacked by other inmates. Jails have a legal obligation to protect inmates from reasonably foreseeable sources of harm, including attacks from inmates. If a jail was deliberately indifferent to a known risk of harm or grossly negligent in failing to monitor inmates, this could form the basis of a constitutional claim. There are a a number of actions that jails should take to prevent violence.

• Jails should take quick action if a conflict between two inmates seems likely.
• Inmates should typically be segregated based on their history of violent actions.
• Jails should intervene as quickly as possible in the event of a fight.

Many inmate homicides are preventable and are a consequence of improper inmate monitoring. Overcrowding can also contribute to inmate homicides. Correctional officers are not able to prevent fights as well when they have to deal with substantially more inmates than normal. The family of any person that died in custody may be able to seek some measure of justice through a constitutional claim. A civil rights attorney can examine all of the unique facts of your case 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 Masoud Rahmati. Any person that may have more information about what happened should reach out to investigators. There needs to be a thorough investigation into what happened for the sake of the victim’s family.

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 understand their rights and holding jails accountable for their unconstitutional actions. 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.