Mental Health Assessment Area added to LA County’s Inmate Reception Center

A new Mental Health Assessment Area has been added to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department‘s Inmate Reception Center downtown, part of an effort to strengthen care and improve efficiency for incoming jail detainees, officials said Tuesday.

The unveiling marks “a significant advancement in the department’s ongoing commitment to care, dignity and operational excellence within the jail system,” according to a sheriff’s department statement.

The Inmate Reception Center serves as the primary intake and release facility for all males entering the county jail system. More than 50,000 bookings were processed at the center in 2025, around 138 individuals per day, according to the sheriff’s department.

“Every individual who enters custody receives a comprehensive medical and mental health evaluation conducted by Correctional Health Services to ensure immediate needs are identified and addressed,” according to a sheriff’s department statement that noted there has been “a significant increase in individuals entering custody with mental health disorders.”

In 2022, about 41% of those in custody had a diagnosed mental health condition, and that number has risen to 49%, officials said.

“This new Mental Health Assessment Area reflects our unwavering commitment to providing safe, and professional care,” Sheriff Robert Luna said. “By expanding our capacity and improving the assessment environment, we are better equipped to respond to the complex mental health needs of our population while strengthening efficiency and accountability.”

The project to open a new mental health assessment area was launched amid overcrowding at the Inmate Reception Center.

In June 2022, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors directed the Jail Closure Implementation Team and the Alternatives to Incarceration Initiative to explore the use of AB109 funding to alleviate overcrowding.

The remodeling project was approved in April 2023 “with a clear focus on ensuring mental health care remained a priority,” officials said. Previously designed primarily as a medical clinic, the former assessment space was not equipped to meet current mental health demands, according to the department.

“The newly expanded area addresses these challenges by increasing capacity from five to nine assessment windows, allowing clinicians to conduct evaluations more efficiently and significantly reduce waiting times,” officials said.