February 26, 2020, 11:52 AM
By Eric Westervelt
Houston Public Media
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/npr/2020/02/25/805469776/americas-mental-health-crisis-hidden-behind-bars/
It’s recreation time at a Los Angeles County jail known as the Twin Towers. Nearly a dozen disheveled young men stand docilely as they munch on sandwiches out of brown paper bags.
They’re half-naked except for sleeveless, thick, blanket-like restraints wrapped around them like medieval garments.
All are chained and handcuffed to shiny metal tables bolted to the floor.
“It’s lunchtime and they’re actually [in] programming right now,” says a veteran guard, LA County Sheriff’s Deputy Myron Trimble.
Programming, in theory, means a treatment regimen. But it’s difficult to determine what treatment they’re actually receiving.
