Lasd inmate videos offer a window into the culture of violence behind bars at LASD jails. The videos unsealed by a federal judge are part of a long-running civil rights lawsuit against the county sheriff’s department.

One video shows a deputy kneeling on an inmate’s neck. Another shows two deputies slamming a handcuffed man’s head into a wall. But sheriff’s lawyers say blows like these make up only 2% of all uses of force by deputies.

Inside LASD: Exploring the World of Inmate Management

But the ACLU says the sheriff’s department is failing to follow its own policies on using force. “They’re not only violating their policy, but they’re putting people at risk of serious injury and even death with some of the techniques that they are using,” said Corene Kendrick, ACLU deputy director of the National Prison Project.

In the meantime, LASD continues to have trouble getting its inmates to their court appearances. A breakdown in the jail transportation system has left seven of its facilities overcrowded with inmates who could have been released by a judge or sent to state prison if they had shown up to their court appearances.

The sheriff’s department has only 23 functioning buses out of its 82, and it’s not clear how many of those will be able to run through the end of this year. First District Supervisor Hilda Solis said the bus fleet could dwindle down to as low as six buses before the end of the year.