By Abby Sewell
LA Times
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. — California officials appear poised to deny Los Angeles County’s request for $80 million to go toward a facility for female inmates at a proposed women’s jail in Lancaster.
The county is considering building a 1,600-bed women’s jail at Mira Loma Detention Center, using $100 million in state money that was awarded in 2012, and another $80 million sought from the Board of State and Community Corrections.
That money would go to build facilities dedicated to educational, vocational and life-skills training programs and mental health and substance abuse treatment programs. The facility would also include a space where some women could have their children with them.
“I believe, based on many years in corrections, that if L.A. County is able to provide this model, that we can end up being a solid support and mentor, not just in California but nationally, for the management of female offenders,” Los Angeles County Asst. Sheriff Terri McDonald told state officials while making a pitch for the grant earlier this month.
Full story: County may lose out on $80 million in state funding for women’s jail