兰德-洛杉矶县公共卫生部家庭援助项目评估（英）

LU DONG, SHANNON D. DONOFRY, HELIN HERNANDEZ, JACOBO PEREIRA-PACHECO, NABEEL QURESHI, CHLOE GOMEZ, MALLIKA BHANDARKAR, DEBORAH KIM, NINA V. OZBARDAKCI, AMY L. SHEAREREvaluation of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Family Assistance ProgramPolice violence is a leading cause of death among young men in the United States (Edwards, Lee, and Esposito, 2019). In Los Angeles (LA) County, police- and custody-related deaths remain urgent and persistent issues. According to the LA County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), 16 individuals have died in police custody in 2025 alone (as of April 2025), con-tributing to a total of 91 deaths since the start of 2023 (LASD, undated-a). Additionally, as of early 2025, three people died from the use of force by LASD deputies, totaling 20 fatalities and ten non-fatal injuries reported since the beginning of 2023 (LASD, undated-b). In the three years prior to the launch of the Family Assistance Program (FAP) in 2019, more than 100 individuals died while in LASD custody or as a result of deputy-involved shootings, prompting efforts to improve support for affected families (County of LA Board of Supervisors, 2019).Origins of the Family Assistance ProgramRegardless of specific circumstances, deaths of individuals by LASD shootings or while in LASD custody are tragedies that could leave surviving family members and communities with profound psychological and emotional trauma. Families affected by police-involved deaths experience symp-toms of prolonged grief, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and social withdrawal (Outland et al., 2022; Hawkins, 2024; Smith Lee and Robinson, 2019). For example, families of youth killed by police report heightened psychological distress, which is compounded by media scrutiny, the lack of justice, and recurring contact with law enforcement (Outland et al., 2022). Many families struggle to “make sense of the senseless,” face intimidation from authorities, and feel unsupported by formal Research Report2KEY FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONSBackground and Findings• The Family Assistance Program (FAP) provides support to families affected by fatal encounters with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD). We assessed FAP’s administrative data, surveyed service recipients, and reviewed databases to evaluate the program.• FAP responses were timely, and clinical social workers were assigned to cases within three days (within 1.8 days on average) for nearly all cases.• Among next of kin (NOK) who accepted services, 69 percent received timely funeral reimbursements; a median amount of $7,106 was disbursed within 15 days of authorization.• Six of 55 FAP clients responded to our survey. Respondents reported high satisfaction with services, including counseling, burial support, and referrals. Given the low response rate, the survey sample might not be representative of all clients FAP works with.• Counseling recipients praised the FAP clinicians’ compassion, responsiveness, and em