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
