Disability Rights Advocates Expose Poor Conditions, Neglect at Sonoma County Jail

A new report by the advocacy group Disability Rights California says that Sonoma County’s main jail is not
providing adequate care for inmates with mental health disabilities. The report, based on a 2015 inspection, found
that many prisoners are isolated for more than 23 hours a day, and in some cases, are inappropriately medicated
against their will. County officials say they are doing all they can to address the burgeoning population of mentally
ill inmates and point to a dramatic increase in spending for mental health treatment. We discuss the report.

This segment was produced as a project for the California Data Fellowship, a program of the Center for Health Journalism at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

More Information:

• Disability Agency Blasts Sonoma County Jail’s Treatment of Mentally Ill (KQED Newsfix)

• The Report from Disability Right California