Gov asks for $7 billion for prison medical services

That's right, $7 billion, which is how much the federally appointed receiver says it'll take to bring healthcare services and facilities for California's prisoners up to constitutional standards. Michael Rothfeld reports:

The plan includes $6 billion to design and construct new health facilities and housing for 10,000 inmates with medical or mental health needs; and $1 billion to improve existing health care facilities at state prisons.

That's triple the amount in budget Schwarzenegger submitted in Januray, and will require the state to borrow most of the cash. Michael's full story here.

--Veronique de Turenne

Comments

[Joshooi]

CRIME DOES PAY!!!!

Seem like they are receiving better healthcare than the rest of us outside the prison.

Unthinkable.

[Joshooi]

Think about it.

If you have a catastrophic health problem you could commit a crime and go to prison and be taken care off saving your family $$$$ trying to maintain you in the health system. You will still have visitation rights so you could still see your family and save the family wealth from being ravage by our health care system.

[Frank]

Why would we give prisoners healthcare? The only people that wouldn't want all the dangerous prisoners dead is there family, so the prisoners family should pay for there healthcare and everythings else, I don't get that us taxpayers pay for a murder to stay healthy and live. I cant understand why it's the governments responsibility to keep a dangerous criminal healthy and make his prison sentense seem like were taking care of them after they commited a horrorable crime. We should be like "family, your son, daughter, dad, whatever, was caught and convited for murder and he's going to prison were he may die, if you want him to stary alive and be well then pay for it." Criminals shouldn't have any rights. Only to kill him or herself.

[Rob Dawg]

Federal receiver, Federal decision, Federal oversight = Federal money.

[Lisa]

$7 billion of our tax dollars for people who CHOOSE to do wrong? What a slap in the face to those of us who show up for work each day, especially those workers without healthcare. How about $7 billion going towards caring for the elderly/disabled? And where the heck is the Lotto money that was supposed to be going to our schools so teachers don't have to be laid off with this budget "crisis"? So many things are horribly wrong with this picture!

[JCB737]

I'm beginning to think that some of these politicians are on drugs. Wow, I'll be glad when I finally can leave this state and watch it burn.

[Jo]

This is so great...now we can make sure that prisoners are in the best of health so they have the stamina to commit more crimes when they are released!

[susan]

Since 1/4 to 1/3 of prison inmates are illegals, if we start by deporting them ASAP we save a minimum of $2.5 - 3 BILLION right away. Another reason to get the LAPD and Sheriff's deputies to ACTIVELY identify illegals and get ICE to deport them.

[dunnage]

State wants to build prisons and state wants to fill them up for non violent crime, then the state pays the tab. We can be proud to be paying for the highest incarceration rates in the world. Talk about a growth industry.

[Rhondavous]

You're right, those of us who are the families of prisoners would like to see them kept healthy. They are our loved ones, whether they have committed a crime or not. Families of prisoners are already burdened with additional expense of $20.00 for a 15 minute phone call (which State of CA gets a kickback from), making sure they have "basics" like soap, toothpaste, a toothbrush etc. And don't forget the sheer expense of travel costs to go visit them. By the way, if you think that families have an easy time of it, visiting their loved ones...then I suggest you jump through the "hoops" required to visit your loved one. MOST prisoners have no one who cares whether they live or die. You think they get great health care for free???? The reality is they have to fight for ANY kind of health care and as it has been documented, the health care they are given (or not given in many cases) results in their deaths or complication of illness. Even if you have less health care than a prison inmate, you at least have the option to get out and get some, go to an emergency room...seek help. They are locked in cells. they have a heart attack, no one responds...too bad. THAT is not what I would call "cushy". My suggestion is, unless you have "walked a mile in their moccasins" you might want to reserve judgement. By the way...what about the hundreds of inmates who are wrongly convicted???? (and there ARE hundreds of innocent people in prisons, don't you believe there aren't). Try this one on for size...what if that was YOU who was wrongly convicted. Believe me, these are normal people like you and your neighbors. THEY are fightinig for their lives (or what's left of it after the court system has eviscerated their lives). You say tough break??? How compassionate. I just hope it never happens to you.

[susan]

Rhondavous, I don't know what your family member is in jail for and hope it wasn't something like a felony, you say it was wrong conviction, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. I'm all for looking more closely at how we treat our prisoners and giving them humane treatment, and studies say that upto half have substance abuse problems or are mentally ill.

If we got rid of the 1/3 or so who are illegals and started to actually follow the law, we could give the remaining legal resident prisoners decent healthcare and treatment if that's what they need -- it would be more humane and cheaper in the long run than keeping them in jail. Illegals cost CA a min. $1 billion/year.

If I had a loved one in jail I'd be the first to mount a campaign to pass Jamiel's Law and get rid of the illegals so we could treat our own citizens better. (IF you're illegal, sorry, I have no sympathy -- there are too many millions around the world who want to come here and contribute with their educations and clean records.)

(Our healthcare systems are failing for the same reason, costing the state $7 billion/year, so our legal residents and citizens have no safety net if they lose insurance, and even Seniors on MediCare are often rejected by doctors in this state, they've got too many indigent illegals and MediCal patients.