The Los Angeles County Jail system has been described as the nation's largest mental health institution. Nearly two-thirds of the inmates are either mentally ill or addicted to drugs. Now, the Board of Supervisors is considering tearing down part of the Men's Central jail and building a new facility that would provide mental health treatment. Would that be too expensive? Guest host Madeleine Brand speaks with the architect of the plan and to the local legal director of the ACLU, who wants a different approach, one that would keep many inmates out of jail to begin with. Also, a victory for the city's African American community as Metro today approved a subway station at Leimert Park.
On our rebroadcast of today's To the Point, with the war in Afghanistan winding down and al Qaeda a weakened enemy, President Obama said today it's time to re-focus America's strategy for national security. Warren Olney considers his latest ideas about using drones for targeted killings and closing the prison at Guantánamo Bay.
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