In 2011, the ACLU issued a report about major abuses in the Los Angeles County Jail system. The report showed how deputies inside jails were severely abusing prisoners, including some with major mental illnesses. Some inmates were left seriously injured with broken bones and teeth.
The ACLU report was supported by over 70 sworn statements. It was also corroborated by civilians, jail chaplains, and others.
In 2012, the ACLU helped file a class-action lawsuit against the sheriff. Later that year, the Citizens’ Commission released a report concluding that the abuse was widespread and held the department’s leadership accountable.
This resulted in millions of dollars in damages being awarded to victims. In addition, the sheriff was held personally liable for punitive damages to one victim. The sheriff retired shortly after.
This is great news for liberty and justice, as it is rare to see a government official held personally liable for doing something while on the job.
How often do we see police officers or military personnel or prosecutors who lie or steal or commit acts of aggression against others and are not held accountable? Sometimes a particular department may suffer some bad publicity or have to issue an apology, but it is rare to see a government worker held personally liable for actions on the job.
If government officials were held personally liable more often, then perhaps there would be far less abuse of power.
If a police officer kills somebody, he should be treated the same as a regular citizen – either he acted in self-defense or should be charged with unwarranted aggression. If a prosecutor lies in court, he should be treated the same as a witness lying on the stand. If a member of the military kills innocent civilians, he should be treated as any civilian and should be held personally liable.
The Information Age
The lawsuit against the LA County Jails has recently resulted in an agreement that will hopefully result in drastic changes in the jails’ policies. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors entered into this agreement that should lead to more openness about what is happening inside the jail cells.
This seemingly good change would not have happened without some honest people coming forward. In addition, the ACLU should be commended for taking up a good cause and defending the victims here, even if some of them really were in jail for criminal activity.
I believe the information age we live in today also played a vital role, as it does with so many scandals today. We have the means to communicate that just wasn’t possible even 20 years ago.
We live in an age of cell phones, which now include cameras and video cameras. These are carried almost constantly by a large portion of the adult population in the United States.
We also have the internet and social media. If there is a story that deserves attention, you can post it on Facebook or other social media. It can be seen by thousands of people in a very short period of time.
If this situation in the LA County Jails had happened 20 years ago, it might not have had the same result. Maybe it would have received a little bit of attention. Maybe there would have been marginal changes.
But we have to believe that the biggest factor in this reform of the jails is not the lawsuits themselves. It is the bad publicity that goes with them. It is the public outrage, which was only possible because people knew about it. They knew about it because of social media.
In conclusion, we should recognize and celebrate victories for liberty when they happen, however seemingly small or big. We can thank the work of the ACLU for this one. We can also thank modern technology and social media.
We will win many more victories in the future using this strategy. Sometimes it is just a matter of spreading a message of injustice. Once a lot of people find out about the injustice, it will often end quickly due to public opinion.
