Scott Robert Jones is the sheriff of Sacramento County. He is retiring in January, 2023. He is the sheriff behind the Netflix series “Jailbirds” and exploitative reality show featuring women prisoners in the Sacramento County jail. He has made two unsuccessful runs as a Republican for Congress, in 2016 and 2022. In 2022, he didn’t make it past the primary.
He has called himself a mini-Trump and illegally revoked access to the jail to the Inspector General to investigate officer-involved shootings. He also exacerbated the spread of COVID in his county by refusing to enforce mask mandates. He illegally banned Prison Legal News, a Human Rights Defense Center publication. He refuses oversight, public information requests, and more citing the need for privacy and then lets Netflix cameras into the jails.
He is also accused of sexual harassment. In 2016, four female deputies sued the department for sex discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation. In a separate case, a deputy testified that Jones sexually harassed her and touched her at least thirty times without her consent, massaging her, unzipping her pants, and kissing her. She provided e-mails that support her allegations, though Jones denied them. The jury awarded the four deputies $3.6 million.
- The Daily Beast: The ‘Mini-Trump’ and Accused Sexual Harasser Behind Netflix’s ‘Jailbirds’
- The Sacramento Bee: Sheriff Scott Jones accused of unwelcome sexual advances toward deputy
- PolitiFact: Scott Jones falsely claims judges ruled on allegations of unwanted sexual advances
The Sacramento Bee
Sacramento, California · Thursday, May 19, 2016
