When you think of a prison town, you probably think of a place like Huntsville, Texas. Or maybe Forrest City, Ark. Or Susanville, Calif.
Even if you don’t know them by name, you know the type: places where the population is half-incarcerated and virtually everyone works for or knows someone who works for a prison. In short, you probably do not think of a place like Los Angeles.
But maybe you should.
Technically, it’s not a prison town. Though there are a few federal and state prisons for those convicted of serious crimes scattered across the county, the Southland’s claim to carceral fame lies more in its jails.
On an average day, the county’s lockups hold close to 13,000 people. With roughly twice as many imprisoned people as are in New York’s far more notorious Rikers Island complex, Los Angeles is home to the largest jail system in the most heavily incarcerated country in the world.
At nearly every moment in its history, Los Angeles has been either expanding an old jail, building a new one or debating whether to. The perpetual refrain of build, overcrowd, repeat hums in the background of the city’s history like an aging neon sign.
Right now, that hum is growing a little louder as county leaders once again take up the question of whether to replace Men’s Central. The crumbling downtown lockup mostly houses men awaiting trial or convicted of minor offenses; virtually everyone with any say agrees it is overdue for demolition.
Read the full story from the Los Angeles Times
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Biden’s America
