Which Way, L.A.?
Cleaning Up the Snake-pit in LA County Jail
“Dimly lit, vermin invested, noisy, unsanitary, cramped and crowded.” That’s how the federal Justice Department describes America’s largest mental institution—also known as the Los Angeles County jail. Do mentally ill inmates have to be held in jail? Would other solutions save the public money?
By Warren Olney • • 28m Listen“Dimly lit, vermin invested, noisy, unsanitary, cramped and crowded.” That’s how the federal Justice Department describes America’s largest mental institution—also known as the Los Angeles County jail. Now a federal judge will be telling the Sheriff’s Department and the Department of Mental Health how to treat mentally ill inmates. Do they have to be held in jail? Would other solutions save the public money?
Also, a new film explores the connection between the CIA and crack cocaine in South Los Angeles.
Banner Image: Los Angeles County Jail, also known as the Twin Towers Correctional Facility; Credit: Basil D. Soufi
In this episode
2 storiesWho’s Going to Protect the Mentally Ill in County Jails?
Los Angeles County is widely known for the biggest mental institution in the United States. But it’s not a hospital… it’s the County jail. Inmates are held in squalid conditions, neglected by the Department of Mental Health and often abused by Sheriff’s deputies.
Read the story18 minCalifornia Reporter Dug into the “Dark Alliance”
Almost 20 years ago, a bombshell investigative news series connected America’s crack cocaine epidemic to Los Angeles street gangs, Central-American counter-revolutionaries and the CIA. It sparked investigations and destroyed the life of a reporter. Now Hollywood is bringing the story to the big screen. KCRW's Saul Gonzalez reports.
Read the story11 min
