LA Is Sued for Enriching PE Firms at Prisoners’ Expense (1)

A Los Angeles policy of awarding exclusive contracts to jail service providers is a benefit to the multibillion-dollar private equity firms that control the companies, but the costs are borne by prisoners who have no alternatives, according to a proposed class-action lawsuit.

The complaint filed Tuesday against Los Angeles County and its sheriff’s department seeks restitution for inmates and a court order to stop the renewal of contracts under which the county gets a commission.

A statement by former Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky is quoted in the complaint: “Everyone’s making a lot of money at the expense of ...