A Reagan Legacy
One of the unfortunate hallmarks of Ronald Reagan's stint as governor of California was that he effectively gutted the state's mental hospitals, which meant that thousands of mentally ill people were just turned out into the streets with no access to the health care so necessary for their conditions. He had promised to fund community mental health care clinics to replace the hospitals, but then he rather cavalierly refused to deliver on that promise. The result was those same thousands of mentally ill people got into all sorts of trouble, much of it criminal in nature.
Now, another Republican governor is trying to cope with the wretched overcrowded conditions in the state's prisons. His first solution, sending thousands of prison inmates to facilities in other states, has already been nixed by a federal judge. In today's Los Angeles Times, columnist Steve Lopez describes one step towards easing some of that overcrowing which is being introduced in the state legislature this week.
California's prisons are jammed with thousands of mentally ill inmates who didn't get help before their incarceration and aren't likely to get much while locked up. Not only is that like a chapter out of the Dark Ages, but the high rate of repeat crimes among parolees is costing taxpayers a fortune.
Tomorrow, state Sen. Darrell Steinberg, a Democrat from Sacramento, will introduce a bill that calls for a complete overhaul of mental health care behind bars, with the goal of putting a big dent in both the overcrowding problem and the high recidivism rates.
"I would argue very strongly that it's the missing element of corrections reform," Steinberg said. How can you talk about getting a handle on overcrowding, he asks, without doing something about the fact that an estimated 20%-25% of the state's 170,000 inmates are bipolar, schizophrenic, clinically depressed or otherwise afflicted?
...If the governor can find $10.9 billion for his prison reform plan, the senator argued, the state should be able to shift funds or find additional revenue to pay for a mental health overhaul that could deliver long-term savings. [Emphasis added]
Mr. Steinberg's plan won't solve the immediate problem of overcrowding, but once the staffing and financing parts are worked out, the long term effects should ease some of the pressure on the prison system and should save the state hundreds of millions of dollars. Governor Schwartzenegger has indicated he's interested in the proposal, although I suspect he's not going to be happy about the financing required. Hopefully the Democratic-led legislature will persuade him the money will be well-spent.
Now, another Republican governor is trying to cope with the wretched overcrowded conditions in the state's prisons. His first solution, sending thousands of prison inmates to facilities in other states, has already been nixed by a federal judge. In today's Los Angeles Times, columnist Steve Lopez describes one step towards easing some of that overcrowing which is being introduced in the state legislature this week.
California's prisons are jammed with thousands of mentally ill inmates who didn't get help before their incarceration and aren't likely to get much while locked up. Not only is that like a chapter out of the Dark Ages, but the high rate of repeat crimes among parolees is costing taxpayers a fortune.
Tomorrow, state Sen. Darrell Steinberg, a Democrat from Sacramento, will introduce a bill that calls for a complete overhaul of mental health care behind bars, with the goal of putting a big dent in both the overcrowding problem and the high recidivism rates.
"I would argue very strongly that it's the missing element of corrections reform," Steinberg said. How can you talk about getting a handle on overcrowding, he asks, without doing something about the fact that an estimated 20%-25% of the state's 170,000 inmates are bipolar, schizophrenic, clinically depressed or otherwise afflicted?
...If the governor can find $10.9 billion for his prison reform plan, the senator argued, the state should be able to shift funds or find additional revenue to pay for a mental health overhaul that could deliver long-term savings. [Emphasis added]
Mr. Steinberg's plan won't solve the immediate problem of overcrowding, but once the staffing and financing parts are worked out, the long term effects should ease some of the pressure on the prison system and should save the state hundreds of millions of dollars. Governor Schwartzenegger has indicated he's interested in the proposal, although I suspect he's not going to be happy about the financing required. Hopefully the Democratic-led legislature will persuade him the money will be well-spent.
Labels: California
posted by Diane at 9:27 AM
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