Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.
Keeping the mentally ill out of LA County jails
The Los Angeles County Men's Central Jail and Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles.
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Christopher Okula/KPCC
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We brief you on what you need to know about L.A. today.
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Keeping the mentally ill out of LA County jails
L.A. County District Attorney Jackie Lacey is trying to solve a very big problem: how to keep mentally ill people out of the county's jails.
Overcrowded jails and prisons are a big problem, locally and nationally. Lacey estimates that 20 percent of inmates in L.A.'s jails have a severe mental illness.
She released a report Wednesday which represents more than a year and half of research by her team.
Southern California Public Radio reporters Rina Palta and Stephanie O'Neill have been digging into it, and they joined the show to talk about what they've found.