Friday, March 19, 2010

California Prison Health Care

The Legislative Analyst’s Office new report on the issue has been released.

An excerpt.

“The 2010-11 Budget: Prison Receivership Proposals Pose Significant Financial Risks

“In February 2006, the federal court in the Plata v. Schwarzenegger case pertaining to inmate medical care appointed a Receiver to take over the direct management and operation of the state’s prison medical health care delivery system from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). (A nonprofit corporation was subsequently created as a vehicle for operating and staffing the Receiver’s operation.) Almost two years later, the court appointed a new Receiver to continue and expand the efforts initiated by the first Receiver in bringing prison medical care up to federal constitutional standards. In this brief, we (1) provide a status report on the Receiver’s actions, (2) present an overview of state spending on inmate medical care, (3) analyze the various requests contained in the Governor’s budget for the Receiver, and (4) identify issues and recommendations for legislative consideration.”