Los Angeles County

Staff working in the LA County Courthouse

Los Angeles is home to the largest jail population in the United States. The Center helps L.A. County advance supportive services to promote safe and equitable alternatives to incarceration.

Of the nearly 15,000 people in the Los Angeles County jail on any given day, roughly one in three has a mental health need. Over the last few years, L.A. County policymakers and local communities have been rethinking the use of jails and promoting safe and appropriate alternatives to incarceration. The Center supports these efforts by helping L.A. implement its “Care First, Jail Last” approach and center racial equity through evidence-informed, collaborative programming.

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Our Impact

  • 96% of graduates have had no further contact with the criminal justice system

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  • 1,300 clinical assessments completed in the Rapid Diversion Program

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  • 450 cases have been diverted in the Rapid Diversion Program

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LA County Courthouse
This case was a wake up call to take my symptoms seriously and to take my medication. Whenever I feel weak I have people (from RDP) I can reach out to. I’m very thankful for them. I now have healthier habits and I feel optimistic.
A 2021 RDP Graduate

Publications & Digital Media

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News

  • How Communities are Creating More Equitable Justice Systems with a Focus on Mental Health

    October 10, 2022
    Microsoft News

    In Los Angeles County, home to the country's largest jail population, the city and local organizations are partnering to create more equity in the legal process by focusing on mental health. The Center is helping to implement the LA-based Rapid Diversion Program, which helps individuals with mental health diagnoses connect with case management, treatment, housing and job services, and cases are dismissed when a participant completes the program. "If we’re able to help one person and change their trajectory, it can have compounding impacts for their families and their communities,” Chidinma Ume, our interim director of policy, says. Brett Taylor, senior advisor of West Coast Initiatives is also quoted.

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