LA County to replace downtown jail with mental health center

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles County is scrapping a more than $2 billion jail plan.

The Board of Supervisors voted to replace the Men's Central jail in Downtown LA with a mental health treatment center.

The new center will be operated by the Department of Health and Human Services and staffed by the Department of Mental Health.

The board was set to vote on whether to replace the facility with a mental health jail.

Instead, Supervisors Janice Hahn and Mark Ridley-Thomas wrote an amendment to move forward with the contract, but change the project to a mental health treatment center.

They say it will focus on healing, not punishment.