Inmates in the L.A. County jails are trying to infect themselves with the coronavirus, a video and evidence gathered inside the facilities show, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Monday morning.
The inmates were captured on video drinking from a container contaminated by an inmate infected with COVID-19, then hiding it as part of a scheme to get released.
“It is dismaying to realize anyone would intentionally infect themselves,” Villanueva told The Times Monday.
The scheme was captured on video, according to sheriff’s officials. It was discovered by a trustee inmate who came across a stash of items that inmates believe would give them the virus that leads to the disease. According to law enforcement sources, a trustee was beaten by fellow inmates after disrupting the scheme by removing the items believed to be tainted with the coronavirus.
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Since the start of the pandemic, 357 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 inside the jails. The number of infected inmates has more than tripled since April 30, when 115 were found to have the virus.
Sheriff’s officials have instituted a new protocol to test all new inmates regardless of symptoms to better control the spread in the facilities.
Of the 357 inmates found to have the virus, 117 have fully recovered and 222 remain sick. Eighteen inmates have been released from custody after testing positive for the virus but prior to meeting CDC standards for being considered fully recovered.
Villanueva has significantly reduced the jail population in response to the pandemic. As of Friday, the jails, which typically house 17,000 people, held 11,723 inmates, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
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The bulk of the infected inmates are being housed at Twins Towers, with 205 inmates testing positive there. Inside the L.A. County jails, 4,590 inmates are currently listed as under quarantine, with nearly 2,000 of them at the North County facility in Castaic.
Some critics contend that L.A. County has not done enough. A recent class-action lawsuit claims that inmates are not being tested even when they show symptoms and lack sufficient space for physical distancing. The lawsuit claims inmates don’t have enough soap or a safe way to dry their hands.
The Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission voted last week to subpoena Villanueva to appear at its next meeting to discuss his handling of the coronavirus outbreak in the jails. It is the first use of the power approved by voters in March.
Inspector General Max Huntsman pointed to The Times’ reporting on one dorm at Men’s Central Jail where 100 people are housed in bunks that are three feet apart and said he’s received complaints of bottlenecks in testing inmates with symptoms. He said 43 of the people in that dorm appeared eligible for release.
