Dr. Nneka Jones Tapia, the first psychologist to run a jail

The Gray Area with Sean Illing

Vox Media Podcast Network

Politics, News, News Commentary, Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.5 • 11.1K Ratings

🗓️ 18 July 2017

⏱️ 69 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart calls the 8,000-person Cook County Jail the largest mental health institution in the country. Thirty percent of its inmates have diagnosed mental health issues, and the number with undiagnosed conditions is thought to push the true percentage much higher. So perhaps it’s not surprising that Dart chose Dr. Nneka Jones Tapia, a psychologist, to run it. What is surprising is that Jones Tapia is the first mental health profession to run a jail. In this conversation, we talk about how the justice system looks when you begin with a mental health lens — how you balance punishment and treatment, how you think about personal responsibility versus mental instability, and how you manage the tension between what we use jail for and what we should use jail for. Enjoy! Books: The Bible The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth by M. Scott Peck, M.D. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Lisa Ling, a journalist and host.
0:07.2	And I'm Hoon Lee, but you may know me as Chao on the Max original series War Year, based
0:11.7	on the writings of Bruce Lee.
0:13.4	After every new episode, join us here Hoon and I, and a series of special guests are
0:18.6	going to discuss how the show is made.
0:21.0	So, stream War Year season 3, starting June 29 only on Max.
0:25.5	And join us here, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
0:31.0	On July 21st, the cinematic experience of the summer arrives.
0:37.0	Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer is an epic thriller about the
0:40.8	man who risked destroying the world for the one chance to save it.
0:45.0	Featuring an incredible cast, including Robert Downey Jr., Emily Bluntz, Oscar Winner's
0:48.9	Matt Damon and Kenneth Brandock, Oscar nominee Florence Pugh, and Killian Murphy at
0:53.7	J. Robert Oppenheimer.
0:55.9	I think theaters to live 21st, rated R.
1:12.9	Hello, welcome to the Asher Klein Show on the Box Media Podcast Network.
1:15.9	Today's an interesting show is when I've really been looking forward to.
1:19.9	My guest is Dr. Nika Jones Tapia.
1:21.9	She's the executive director of the Cook County Department of Corrections.
1:25.4	And that is an unusual job for her to hold.
1:27.7	She is the first mental health professional to run a large jail system.
1:32.0	That does not seem like it should be a first in the year 2017, but it actually is.
1:37.3	Her background is in, she's a clinical psychologist, she's a PhD in psychology.
	...

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