Jail Violence In Downtown LA Up 34% From 2020 But Down From 2019

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Use of force incidents at downtown county jails increased during the first half of 2021 by 24% compared to the same time period in 2020, however are 14% less than 2019. 

According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, there were a total of 593 instances that required the use of force. Category 3 injuries, or more serious injuries, were down from four compared to five in 2020 but higher than in 2019 when there were only two.

Assistant Sheriff Brendan Corbett attributes the rise of the use of force from 2020-2021 due to the vast array of irregularities in 2020. 

"2020 was a  bit of (an) anomaly," he said. "Not only COVID, but all the outliers along with COVID. 

He continued to list excessive quarantines, closure of the courts and visiting as well as "a lot of other things that added to our complexity."

The jail population also dropped from 2019 to 2020 which may have led to fewer incidents.

Inspector General Max Huntsman agreed with the multi-year comparison but would also like to see a five-year review. 

During the press conference, Corbett also said that guards would begin to wear body cameras, which Huntsman believes would help determine the course of events that led to the use of force and may help discipline violators. 

(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)