Los Angeles County Supervisors Cancel $1.7 Billion Jail Replacement Project To Focus On Mental Health ‘Care-First’ Model

On August 13, 2019, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to cancel a $1.7 billion contract with McCarthy Builders, Inc. to replace the Men’s Central Jail with a new Mental Health Treatment Center (MHTC): a 3,885-bed facility for pretrial detainees with mental health and addiction issues. The Board of Supervisors will instead focus efforts on creating a mental health "care-first" treatment model. The model could include building new facilities or using existing beds in treatment centers and hospitals around the county.

The cancellation motion was introduced by Supervisors Hilda Solis and Sheila Kuehl . . .