Healthcare in Prisons 'Shocking'(USJudge moves to take prison mgmt fromCA)

[Rose Siding]

SACRAMENTO — A federal judge took a major step Tuesday toward seizing control of California's prison healthcare system, concluding that state inmates are needlessly dying and state officials cannot stop it on their own.

U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson of San Francisco said he may be compelled to appoint "an interim receiver" to manage the California Department of Corrections healthcare delivery system. He called on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration to appear for a July 11 hearing to present any arguments against such a plan.
...
The order comes three years after California prison officials settled a class action lawsuit over inmate care by agreeing to make ambitious improvements. Despite that agreement, Henderson concluded — and state corrections officials acknowledged recently — the prison healthcare system continues to put convicts' lives in danger.

Federal law requires that states provide healthcare to prisoners, Henderson noted, adding that "when prisoners are dying due to the neglect or incompetence of doctors and other medical staff employed by the state … there can be no doubt but that the Constitution is being violated." The state proposes to spend $6.5 billion on the adult prison system in the coming year, including $1.09 billion on healthcare for its roughly 163,000 prisoners.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-prisons11may11,1,6937695.story?coll=la-headlines-california

[lonestarnot]

1. Everyone soooo upset over Iraqi torture when it's happening right here

in the good old U.S.A.

[bemildred]

2. Shut them down. nt

[HEIL PRESIDENT GOD]

7. Will the feds do any better?

I doubt it. Amnesty for all nonviolent drug offenders is the first step. Only narcissistic bureaucrats think that administrative change is change.

[bemildred]

11. Not much.

The whole idea of incarceration as a "solution" to social
problems needs to be re-examined. But this has been known for
a long time, the ruling elites like incarceration, it instills
fear, and they rule by fear, hence the drug war, the war on terror,
etc.

[lonestarnot]

3. And not only is it happening here, we are entrapping people to put them

there. See the Joe Arpio episode in AZ. He wanted publicity so he was willing to send an 18 year old kid to the pen for many years for some pictures of himself on the tube. Kid's name is Saville (sp?). Case number is available if anyone interested. Kid off by jury trial, currently suing the U.S. "toughest sheriff" in a civil action for entrapment.

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. Is this privatized

in California?

[BiggJawn]

5. It ain't just the prisons...

Healthcare's pretty "shocking" everywhere you look in this country.
"Richest country in the World"
"Highest Standard of Living"

Least Amount of Health Coverage for the Poorest of it's Citizens.

[bikesein]

9. My thoughts exactly

Too bad they didn't broaden the scope.

[firefox]

6. That's $40,000 per prisoner per year

California's budget crisis saw massive layoffs of teachers, but the powerful prison guard union protected guards that often make over $100,000 a year. The big influx of prisoners in the last decade can be attributed mainly to the drug war and Cannabis Prohibition is the largest factor inside of drug arrest.

The drug warriors like to believe that they can arrest to success and are blinded to the harm they are creating while ignoring the failure of helping people in search of help for addiction.

California is sinking in debt and now will have to carry some big time interest payments. It is good that the judge still sees the prisoners as people instead of a paycheck for the prison guards.

Edit- I wanted to copy an image from http://gallery.marihemp.com/mmmbannersflyers/breakout but could not get it to copy.

[MountainLaurel]

8. CA budget crisis

Is due in part to the three-strikes legislation passed several years ago: Expenditures in corrections went up by almost the exact amount as cuts from the education budget.

[bennywhale]

10. Churchill said "you can judge how civilised a society is...

by the way it treats its prisoners"

[madrchsod]

12. this problem exists in every state prison in america

no one gives a shit untill these guys and gals get out and reek revenge on society..."when the prison doors fly open the real dragon will come out" i think ho chi minh made this observation

[Obamanaut]

15. Education departments were eliminated

in 17 of the prisons in Fla about 18 months ago. With the loss of education and vocational training in so many, the recidivism rate will go up. State statistics have shown that prisoners who receive a GED or vocational certificate are less likely to re-offend, but we shut them down anyway. It is less expensive to warehouse than to rehabilitate I suppose.

[noonwitch]

16. Also, constructive activities for the inmates makes the CO's jobs easier

Being a corrections officer can't be an easy job in any circumstances. Keeping the inmates occupied with educational programs is better than letting them watch tv and look at Playboy all day-even lifers will take classes to keep from being bored.

Prisons should have GED/High School completion programs. They should also offer trade classes, to learn a useful skill. I do think college level classes should be taught for no credit-I don't think that prisoners should get free degrees while incarcerated, when so many of the americans footing the bill for their daily care and upkeep are not able to afford college for their families. But I also think that there should be something available to improve their academic abilities so that if they choose to pursue a college degree when they are released, they've had some practice at college-level work, like we get with AP classes in high school. Most people in prison are getting out someday.

[Obamanaut]

17. noonwitch, you are right!

I was a CO for seven years, and then a teacher aide with special ed inmate/students before finally retiring. I met several inmates with no chance of ever getting out who wanted to get a GED just to set an example for their young relatives "on the street." When we held ceremonies for the GED "graduates" each and every one displayed a great sense of pride.

[noamnety]

13. Mandatory health care!

(if you are convicted of a crime - otherwise, you're on your own.)

[classics]

14. Its so sad that prisoners get health care.

And hard working, law abiding, tax paying persons like myself do not.

I guess if I get cancer I can go rob a liquor store and get some treatment.

[Mandate My Ass]

18. privatized prison health care is little better, and sometimes worse

than having none. The myth is still alive I see, that prisoners sit around all day watching cable and lifting weights and having a grand time on your dime.

Here in Philly a prisoner died after writhing in agony for two days in his cell. The guards refused to call a doc the entire first day saying the guy was "dope sick" and he should suffer. Finally, the other prisoners started screaming that the guy was convulsing repeatedly and the guards finally called. After several hours had elapsed, a doctor wrote him a prescription - for bottled water - because up until that time he had been drinking out of the toilet bowl. By the time he got it he was comatose and by the time somebody did something about that he was dead.

Turns out he was diabetic. The doctor didn't even do any tests to see why he was suffering repeated convulsions. It was the weekend and he was pissed he had to be called there at all.

If you want to lock people up - sorry, you're responsible for taking care of them.