To the Point
The Mentally Ill and Law Enforcement
The mentally ill are no more likely than healthy people to commit violent crimes, but the closing of mental hospitals has left them their own. The results can be fatal.
By Warren Olney • • 51m ListenThe mentally ill are no more likely than healthy people to commit violent crimes. But the shutdown of mental hospitals has left sick people on their own, and their symptoms can lead to confrontations with the police. The results can be fatal. We hear what it can mean to one family and look at potential solutions to a growing problem. Also, a cheating scandal rocks Air Force nuclear missile crews, and this year's Oscar nominations: who's up and who's not?
Banner image: Ron Thomas (R), father of Kelly Thomas, speaks next to his attorney at a news conference in Los Angeles on January 14, 2014, about the fatal beating of the 37-year old mentally ill California transient after a jury acquitted two ex-policemen of all charges in connection with his 2011 death. Photo: Alex Gallardo/Reuters
In this episode
3 storiesCheating Scandal Rocks Air Force Nuclear Missile Crews
Thirty-four Air Force second-lieutenants and captains no longer have access to buttons that could launch 150 Minuteman III missiles. An investigation into illicit drug use revealed widespread cheating on a proficiency test. Mark Thompson is national security correspondent at Time magazine.
Read the story8 minMental Illness and Law Enforcement
Last year in Fullerton, California police officers beat a homeless schizophrenic into a coma. After he died, the district attorney of conservative Orange County prosecuted two of the cops for manslaughter and second-degree murder.
Read the story35 min2014 Oscar Nominations
The Sundance Film Festival is under way, the creation of Robert Redford. The New York Times called Redford's role in All Is Lost the "performance of a lifetime."
Read the story8 min
