There have been no “confirmed” allegations of sexual abuse by staff against an inmate at the largest prison system since 2021.
When you first look, the statistics – based on the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sheriff’s Data – can be seen to show that the federal law called the Trus Rped Rpees to Exterminate the Law after it was abolished by Congress.
But a wide array of local authorities and advocacy groups are raising eyebrows over the claim, and have brought new scrutiny to the Sheriff’s department’s investigation into allegations of sexual abuse by its inmates.
LA County houses about 13,000 people — including about 1,500 women — across its network of jails under the watch of Sheriff’s deputies.
Sheriff’s Department records show that between January 2022 and September 2025, inmates filed allegations of abuse and harassment against staff. No one was considered “
The suggestion that there is not enough evidence to support even one incident in which they were arrested in nearly four years and beat other Sheriff’s department guards is absurd.
“If you have these many complaints and you have zero based on them, something is wrong with the process,” said George B. House, a member of the La Sheriff Civil Offethialing Commission.
La County’s Office of Inspector General and Advocacy Groups, including beads of anti-recidivism and peace for the lack of lack of high suspicions during the Federal REGRAGE SURE SApeELination Act, or TREA. The law was lifted in 2003 in an effort to reduce sexual harassment behind bars.
In 2012, the federal government established a set of laws known as the Prea standards, which required measures directed at prisons and prison users to prevent and reduce sexual harassment and abuse among inmates and staff.
La County Sheriff’s Department SGT. Ryan Vackaro said the department “has zero tolerance for sexual harassment and sexual harassment.” He added that monthly town hall meetings are held at the prison to teach inmates about writing and to record any questions and complaints they have about royalty standards.
“Our team is dedicated to making sure our residents know we have a zero-delivery policy and know how to get help when they need it,” she said. “All PRA allegations are documented and dealt with promptly, carefully and sensibly.”
During a public meeting last month, Hans Johnson, the chairman of the Civilian Unauthorized Commission, pressed John Backley, the director of Prea Barkley, the coordinator of PreA at the Sheriff’s Department, and how long it takes to investigate allegations.
A number of claims of harassment and abuse identified in the Sheriff’s Department’s records are listed as “pending,” which the department describes on its website as “allegations still under investigation.”
“Confors Consuresity is that number of complaints that can be raised and nothing,” Johnson said. “It’s just a red flag.”
Barkley said that “all allegations have been investigated” and found to be ‘found’ to be premeditated, baseless or baseless. ‘ He said “Every situation is different. What we are mandated to do is to investigate quickly and do it well.”
In a statement the partner was found out loud on Nov. 4 Forum, Portland, Ore. Frank Mendoza said that he often harassed me when I was arrested with a gay “one I beat him in his cell.
“At that moment I was left in the cell naked, covered in blood, and completely humiliated,” Mendoza said in his statement. “I tried to report what happened. First, I told the police officer about the next walk that found me on the floor of my cell, and all he did was order me to get dressed.”
Mendoza said he was not given medical treatment or examined for injuries caused by the attack. When he reported on the rape, he realized that “without a forensic examination, it was impossible to build a criminal case.”
Now, Mendoza is giving a voice to other people who were victims of sexual abuse and torture while incarcerated through her independent work as a member of the International Survival Council.
“It is very clear that the County still has a lot of work to do to ensure the safety of people in custody,” he said. “At the same time, the fact that such a hearing is happening is a testament to me of the culture change process and that people are listening.”
The Sheriffry Department also tracks allegations of domestic abuse, which accounted for 296 reports of sexual assault or harassment between January 2022 and June 2025. Of those, 28 were classified as “targeted.”
The numbers have risen since then, with 82 suspects staying in custody between July and September 2025.
During that three-month period, inmates committed 121 sexual assaults and assaults against staff, none of which were “confirmed” by the Sheriff’s Department.
Arthur Calloway, the opposing chairman of the Medical Examiner’s Commission, questioned during a meeting in October whether the Sheriff’s Department could be trusted to investigate the inmates facing its inmates.
He added that, “If it was all intent, there would be other high-profile cases of fraud” from claims filed since January 2022.
Barkley responded that “a lot of those secured results” are weighed down by whether the DA takes them. ” He added that “if the DA decides not to prosecute this case with arrest – then that will be good.”
The La County District Attorney’s office indicated in a statement that the Sheriff’s Department is beginning an internal investigation into the allegations of criminal activity. After that, the department “may present their investigation to the Justice System Intelligence Division (JSID) to determine whether criminal charges should be filed,” the statement said.
The Sheriff’s Department may also choose to “advise their employee to conduct in addition to, or instead of, criminal charges,” the statement said.
The prosecutor’s office noted that it focused and excluded the words used by the Sheriff’s Department for administrative purposes, “not legal consequences.
“JSID reviews all charges brought against them by law enforcement using the standard that the charges can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt,” the DA’s office said.
The Sheriff’s Department said in a statement that sexual assault cases are investigated internally and that when they are ‘determined to fulfill the elements of a crime,’ they are “referred to the district attorney’s office.”
The Department said that as of January 2022, four such cases “resulted in an administrative investigation and five were investigated by / were investigated by the Criminal Investigation Department of the Department of Criminal Investigation. None of those were considered “concentrated.”
“Confirmed allegations, often require cooperation and some evidence, which can make them very difficult,” the Sheriff’s Department said. “However, unsecured claims are more common because they have a lower threshold.”
Dara Williams, Assistant Inspector General, said “it would be much better if all complaints were investigated by people outside the chain of command.”
Besides, he said, when Sheriff’s Department employees commit crimes they decide that “cause to investigate, there are others alive.”
Inspector General Max Huntsman told The Times that he believes the Sheriff’s Department is “not following the PreA in many senses,” such as its internal policies and aging facilities.
At a public meeting last month, Barkley, the PRA coordinator at the Sheriff’s Department, explained that the Sergeant must record all charges of sexual assault and alleged assault in a given area where it is found. After that, he said, allegations are automatically sent to Sheriff’s officials and the inspector general’s office.
At the end of the meeting, Johnson, the chairman of the Civilian Wengalight Commission, was called by the Sheriff’s department to take steps to ensure that it does all the reviews of all prisoners.
“It is unacceptable that there are no confirmed cases reported,” he said.
