L.A. County can help thousands of mentally ill inmates avoid arrest and homelessness, study finds
The Los Angeles Times
More than 60% of the inmates with a mental illness in the Los Angeles County Jail would be eligible for diversion if there were more facilities providing supportive care. Such a move would save the county hundreds of dollars a day in incarceration costs for each inmate and, for many, end a cycle of being arrested and released, then becoming homeless and getting arrested again, said the medical director of the county’s Office of Diversion and Reentry, Kristen Ochoa.