Pima County jails people with mental illness for competency restoration, using force and long delays in a system critics say turns jail into a de facto psych ward.
Criminal Justice
The verdict highlights the challenges of holding detention center staff accountable for alleged abuse, advocates say.
Leonard Dixon has run the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center — one of the largest youth jails in the country — for a decade. Records and interviews suggest he might not live in Chicago and is rarely seen at the facility.
Bakersfield-based Simran Singh delivers articles of faith to Sikhs in detention centers. His encounters shed light on the brutality of life as a detainee.
Victor Malin Jr. endured foster care, trauma, and prison. Now he mentors youth and leads community programs to stop others from following the same path.
Black court-appointed special advocates in Sacramento work to support foster youth, especially Black teens, amid system flaws, racial disparities, and a lack of advocates.
Prop 36 aims to force drug offenders into treatment. That’s yet to happen in these Bay Area counties
Prosecutors fault a shortage of treatment options for stifling new law.
Homeless people make up over 30% of Sacramento jail bookings, costing millions annually. Many have serious mental illness and lack basic necessities.
The dream started with a sickly mother at an Indianapolis apartment complex known for trouble. Carl King decided early in his teens that nursing was going to be his career path.
Arturo is one of many formerly incarcerated individuals who navigate mental healthcare in and out of prison.