Although the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is considering a plan to expand the county's jail system, some have called the idea of adding more beds misguided at best.

A growing portion of the inmate population is mentally ill, they said, and the greater focus should be on treatment, not detention.

Sure, spending the money would allow more people to be locked up, but the ACLU says it will do nothing in terms of enhancing public safety.

The last fix didn't work

Approximately two decades ago, when the Twin Towers Correctional Facility was still in its conceptual phase, construction proponents said a new, state of the art facility would not only improve jail conditions for the mentally ill, it would help reduce overcrowding.

The ACLU said a lot of promises were made but few if any were followed through on.

The organization says the county is trying to ward off federal intervention, but feels that building another jail is hardly the answer.

First, they'd like to see the county hold off on making any decisions until a new sheriff is elected.   All of the candidates have reportedly pledged to address problems relating to the mental health of inmates and have said they'd like to re-route certain detainees in to more appropriate care facilities.

Diversion programs work, they said, and there are examples throughout the country where these types of measures have been successful.