Spike in mentally ill LA jail inmates leads to new policies
(WorldNews Health)

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Perhaps the largest group of mentally ill inmates in the U.S. resides in Los Angeles in one of the world's largest jail complexes. Over the past seven years, the jail's population has spiked almost 50 percent - with nearly every inmate having both mental illness and substance abuse problems - and officials suspect the rise is due to methamphetamine use. The Twin Towers Correctional Facility is home to about 4,000 mentally ill inmates. The increase in the number of mentally ill prisoners - about 30 percent of the county's total jail population - has led the sheriff's department to adapt its policies as deputies and clinicians work to treat people...