Inmate Travis Freeman, 32, Died Following Medical Emergency At Men’s Central Jail In Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (November 19, 2023) – A 32-year-old inmate identified as Travis Freeman has tragically died in-custody following a medical emergency at the Men’s Central Jail.

Los Angeles County officials are saying that the death took place on May 30. Correctional officers noticed that Travis Freeman was in some type of medical distress.

Medical staff began life-saving measures which were taken over by paramedics. Sadly, Travis Freeman was later pronounced dead.

His cause of death was listed as “upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage” by the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner. A full investigation remains ongoing at this time.

 

Liability For Inmate Deaths At The Men’s Central Jail

So far this year, 15 people have died in-custody at the Men’s Central Jail. This prison has a long and sordid history of misconduct by correctional officers and inmate neglect. According to The Guardian, “Los Angeles jail guards have frequently punched incarcerated people in the head and subjected them to a “humiliating” group strip-search where they were forced to wait undressed for hours, according to a new report from court-appointed monitors documenting a range of abuses.” There are many steps that jails should take in order to prevent inmate mistreatment.

• Prison guards should be thoroughly vetted and well trained.
• Jails should do everything in their power to prevent overcrowding.
• Third parties should regularly inspect jail conditions.
• Jails should establish clear policies against mistreatment and abuse.

The Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits jails from utilizing cruel and unusual punishment. Within the context of the prison system, this includes denying inmates adequate medical care. If a jail is deliberately indifferent to the serious medical needs of an inmate, this could form the basis of a constitutional claim. There are many ways that a jail may have acted with deliberate indifference.

• Prison guards may have failed to provide an inmate with medications.
• Prison guards may have failed to place an inmate in a suicide resistant cell if they were at heightened risk of suicide.
• Prison guards may have failed to take an inmate to the hospital quickly after a medical emergency.

It’s important that the circumstances surrounding any in-custody death are clearly understood. In many situations, an in-custody death may involve constitutional violations and medical neglect. The family of any person that died in-custody may have legal recourse through a civil claim. A civil rights attorney can examine all of the unique facts of your case and let you know what your legal options are.

 

Getting Legal Help After Los Angeles County Inmate Deaths

We at the Sehat Law Firm extend our deepest condolences to the family of Travis Freeman. Any person that may have more information about what happened should reach out to authorities. There have been so many deaths at the Men’s Central Jail. State officials need to do their part and implement greater oversight measures.

Do you need more information about a Los Angeles County inmate death? Our team of civil rights attorneys are here to help in any way that we can. We focus entirely on helping people who have been harmed by law enforcement and mistreatment within jail. 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.