L.A. County Jail Overdoses Surge as Inmates Face Months-Long Waits for Addiction Treatment

Cleavotta Morgan spoke with her son Daejon every day from his cell at Men's Central Jail. The 20-year-old would ask her to pass the phone around to family members, and she would often hold the receiver to his dog Hunter's ear so he could hear the animal's excitement. The family viewed his incarceration as a blessing — a safe place where he could get help.

That illusion shattered on October 30, 2024, when Morgan heard screams during a call. An unfamiliar voice came on the line: "He went down. I'm sorry I gotta put the phone down and get help."

Daejon Morgan died from an overdose of fentanyl and heroin, one of hundreds of inmates on a waitlist for medication-assisted treatment in the nation's largest jail system. His story illustrates a devastating gap between policy ambitions and operational reality in Los Angeles County's correctional facilities.

A Crisis Behind Bars

Inmates in L.A. County custody are now roughly three times more likely to die than they were in 2016, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis of Sheriff's Department data. Overdoses accounted for approximately one-quarter of the 46 in-custody deaths in 2025 — a stark indicator that the nation's overdose crisis has penetrated deep into its correctional institutions.

The county has not been idle in response. L.A. County allotted $25 million this fiscal year to fund addiction treatment programs in local jails. After joining litigation against pharmaceutical companies blamed for causing the U.S. opioid epidemic, the county received an $8 million settlement payment initially earmarked specifically for jail addiction treatment programs.

Yet despite these investments, people in county custody often wait weeks — sometimes several months — to receive medication-assisted treatment, according to interviews with Correctional Health Services staff and current jail detainees. Two staff members with direct knowledge of the situation, speaking anonymously due to fear of professional repercussions, confirmed that hundreds of inmates remain on waitlists at any given time.

The Treatment Bottleneck

Medication-assisted treatment uses FDA-approved medications such as buprenorphine and Suboxone to quell addiction cravings and reduce withdrawal symptoms. For individuals with opioid use disorder, these medications reduce overdose mortality by approximately 50% and represent the standard of care endorsed by the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

The benefits extend beyond immediate health outcomes. Research from Rhode Island demonstrated that providing medication-assisted treatment in correctional settings reduced post-release overdose deaths by 60%. Given that the first 30 days after release carry overdose risks 10 to 40 times higher than the general population, jail-based treatment serves as both a humanitarian intervention and a public health imperative.

But implementation has lagged behind policy. A 2024 report by L.A. County's Office of Inspector General revealed that Correctional Health Services had exceeded its addiction treatment budget for one fiscal quarter by nearly $300,000, leaving an estimated 200 to 300 inmates waiting for support.

Robin Young, a spokesperson for L.A. County's Public Health Department, told The Times there is currently no waitlist for jail inmates to receive addiction treatment, noting that longer waits in the past were caused by budget strains limiting medication supply and staffing. However, current detainees tell a different story. One inmate who recently served three weeks for petty theft reported entering the Inmate Reception Center while already enrolled in a nonprofit medication-assisted treatment program but never received buprenorphine while in custody. Another said she was arrested while actively using fentanyl and received no treatment during her detention.

Systemic Barriers

The disconnect between available funding and delivered care points to deeper structural challenges. Correctional Health Services, which administers addiction treatment programs in the jails, has emphasized the need for better drug interdiction efforts. But staff members and advocates argue that prevention alone cannot address the reality that a significant portion of the jail population enters custody with active substance use disorders.

Nationwide, an estimated 50% to 65% of incarcerated individuals meet criteria for substance use disorders, yet only a fraction receive evidence-based treatment. The gap reflects both resource constraints and persistent philosophical debates about whether correctional facilities should prioritize punishment or rehabilitation.

L.A. County's experience suggests that even when financial resources are available, operational capacity — particularly staffing and medication supply chains — can create bottlenecks that render investments ineffective. The county's $8 million opioid settlement allocation, while substantial, has not translated into immediate access for those who need it most.

Legal and Human Costs

Daejon Morgan's death has become the subject of an ongoing federal lawsuit brought by his family against L.A. County. The suit alleges that jail staff exhibited "deliberate indifference" to Morgan's serious medical needs after he was hospitalized for a separate overdose weeks before his death. The family also claims the county failed to stop dangerous drugs from circulating inside the jail system.

In court filings, the county has denied liability and disputed most of the family's claims. But the case highlights the legal exposure that correctional systems face when they fail to provide adequate medical care, including addiction treatment.

Beyond the courtroom, the human toll continues to mount. Already in 2026, 21 jail inmates have died, though autopsy results are still pending to determine causes. Each death represents not just a statistical data point but a family shattered, a community diminished, and a system that failed to fulfill its most basic obligation to protect those in its custody.

The Path Forward

The overdose crisis in L.A. County jails arrives at a moment of national momentum toward expanded medication-assisted treatment access. The DEA's recent elimination of the X-waiver requirement removed a significant barrier to buprenorphine prescribing, and telehealth flexibilities have extended through December 2026. Yet these policy advances mean little for individuals incarcerated in facilities where treatment waitlists stretch for months.

Public health experts emphasize that jails represent critical intervention points. Unlike community settings where individuals may cycle in and out of care, incarceration creates a captured audience with guaranteed access to medical services. Failing to provide addiction treatment during this window represents a missed opportunity with potentially fatal consequences.

For L.A. County, the challenge now is translating its significant financial investments — including opioid settlement funds specifically designated for jail treatment programs — into operational capacity that can meet demand in real-time. The alternative is a continuation of the status quo: more deaths, more lawsuits, and more families receiving phone calls that begin with screams.

"We thought it would be a safe place for him," Cleavotta Morgan said of her son. For hundreds of inmates currently waiting for treatment in L.A. County jails, that safety remains elusive.