Mental Health in America
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Friday's massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, has raised questions that will never be answered by the killer who killed himself. Other issues can be addressed, including the failure of America's mental health system to help those who need it. Very few mentally ill people ever turn violent. So, why do so many end up in jail? Also, Cerberus Capital Management sells Freedom Group, the maker of Bushmaker, and Zero Dark Thirty and torture.
Banner image: A corridor connects abandoned buildings on the grounds of the historic St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington, DC. Once home to thousands of criminally and civilly committed mental health patients, it's now divided into a federal parcel that's home to a modern mental health facility and Department of Homeland Security offices. Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Making News
Cerberus Capital Management Sells Freedom Group, Maker of Bushmaker ()
Adam Lanza used a semi-automatic rifle made by Bushmaster to gun down 20 first graders and six adults. Bushmaster is made by a company called Freedom Group. Now the owner of Freedom Group says it's up for sale. Peter Lattman is staff reporter for the New York Times' Dealbook, which covers business and finance.
Guests:
- Peter Lattman: New York Times, @peterlattman
Main Topic
Newtown and the Lessons about Mental Illness ()
Nobody will ever know what led Adam Lanza to slaughter twenty 6- and 7-year-olds last Friday at the Sandy Hook School. But what has been reported strongly suggests that he was a young man who needed help. The vast majority of mentally ill people are not violent, but the Newtown massacre has raised questions about America's mental health system. Mental hospitals have been shut down, but seldom replaced with community-based services. Federal and state resources have been cut to the bone. Private care is expensive, insurance coverage is rare and very sick people can end up in jail, even though treatment could be available. We hear from a desperate mother who called the police on her own son, and the words of a killer who never received the treatment he needed.
Guests:
- Richard Meyer: journalist
- Jennifer Hoff: health educator and advocate
- Linda Rosenberg: National Council for Behavioral Health, @linda_rosenberg
- Joel Dvoskin: University of Arizona Medical School
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Reporter's Notebook
Is Torture Endorsed in 'Zero Dark Thirty?' ()
The US Senate Intelligence Committee has yet to release its findings about the use of "coercive techniques" -- which many call "torture" -- in the search for Osama bin Laden. But Committee members, after examining millions of pages of evidence, say "waterboarding" was not the key. A new film incorrectly suggests that it was, according to one unpaid advisor to the filmmakers. Roughly the first half hour of Zero Dark Thirty depicts the abuse of the detainee, strung to the ceiling, beaten, deprived of sleep, forced to expose himself to a female agent and waterboarded. Peter Bergen is CNN's national security analyst and author of two books that were drawn on by the writer and director of the film.
Guests:
- Peter Bergen: CNN, @peterbergencnn
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