Mental Illness in U.S. Prisons
It is estimated that one in five of the nation's two million incarcerated Americans suffer from serious mental illness. According to a new study by Human Rights Watch, the rate of mental illness in the prison population is three times higher than in the general population. Commentator Michael Eric Dyson joins NPR's Tavis Smiley to discuss the issue.
After nearly a decade of severe economic decline, good fortune may finally be shining down on Berlin, N.H. A federal prison is set to open there in the next few months. That means $20 million will start washing into this city devastated by the collapse of the pulp-and-paper-mill industry. Residents and business owners say this Christmas is going to be a little bit brighter.