During the winter of 1940, when its jail was a single building with fewer than 2,000 inmates, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department pulled out all the stops.
The Salvation Army led hymns under the supervision of the jail chaplain. Not content with one musical option, sheriff’s officials also let in choral groups and a five-piece band.
For dinner, the jail served a holiday feast complete with candy, salad, fruit, mashed potatoes and gravy, gelatin — or “gelatine,” as it was spelled in The Times — and even roast veal with sage dressing…