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Custody Division Manual / Volume 5 - Line Procedures

5-03/045.00 Inmate Lower Bunk and Lower Tier Assignments


5-03/040.00 Medical Segregation
5-03/050.00 Access to Health Care

The welfare of inmates in the custody of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) is of utmost importance. It is paramount that the medical and mental health needs of inmates are handled in an expeditious manner. Assignment of inmates to lower tier and lower bunk housing shall adhere to the following:

  • Inmates with mobility or sensory impairments as determined by Correctional Health Services (CHS) shall be assigned a lower bunk by custody personnel and/or other accommodations in accordance with CDM section 5-03/085.00, “Handling of Inmates With Mobility and/or Sensory Impairments.”
  • Inmates with any mental health-related needs shall be assigned a cell on the lower tier by custody personnel upon referral from CHS mental health staff in accordance with CDM sections 5-01/050.00, “Handling of Suicidal Inmates,” and 5-01/050.10, “Housing for Mentally Ill Inmates.”
  • Pregnant inmates shall be assigned a lower bunk and a cell on the lower tier by custody personnel.

Upon determining that an inmate requires a lower bunk or lower tier assignment, CHS shall notify custody personnel at their respective custody facility. Custody personnel shall assign the inmate to a lower bunk or lower tier and email the Population Management Bureau (PMB) Classification Unit. PMB classification personnel will update the inmate’s Automated Justice Information System (AJIS) Inmate Classification (IC) 10 and IC12 screens for tracking the lower bunk or lower tier assignment statuses. Only  CHS personnel will determine and validate the status of an inmate to be assigned to a lower bunk or lower tier, not custody personnel. In the event an inmate claims they require a lower bunk or a cell on the lower tier, custody personnel assigned to the inmate’s housing area shall verify the inmate’s IC10 and IC12 AJIS screens.

Inmates that receive a lower bunk or lower tier status from CHS that have been verified via AJIS, shall immediately be re-assigned to a lower bunk or a cell on the lower tier.

In the event a lower bunk or a cell on the lower tier is not available, PMB Central Housing Unit (CHU) shall be notified to locate an appropriate housing location.

Generally, inmates with injuries will be assigned a lower bunk or a cell on the lower tier temporarily, until their injuries heal. This requires CHS to indicate a termination date for the lower bunk or lower tier status. However, some inmates with minor, but permanent, ambulatory disabilities, physical limitations, or a history of suicide attempts by jumping, may be assigned to a lower bunk or lower tier indefinitely, which also needs to be indicated on the IC10 and IC12 screens. The determination of temporary or permanent lower bunk or lower tier status shall be made by CHS personnel.