A federal judge found that California prison leaders did not hire enough mental health professionals to treat inmates. The court ordered them to pay a fine of about $112 million. It’s a case that’s been in court for decades. A San Francisco lawyer representing inmates said it’s not a decree to celebrate. “If they had fixed California prison reform years ago the way they should have,” Ernest Galvan said. The huge fine comes from money the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation saved by not filling positions for mental health staff. The judge ordered the state to put the money into a special account to help inmates. According to court documents, the number of inmates with serious mental health issues has doubled since inmates began asking for more resources, and staffing shortages are worsening. Currently, 30% of positions, from psychiatrists to social workers, need to be filled and have been vacant for years. “Many of my clients suffer from severe mental illness and are in crisis, self-harming or attempting to hang themselves, and they wait weeks or months to see a clinician,” Galvan said. A CDCR spokesperson said in a statement to KCRA 3 News, “Inmates within CDCR often currently have greater access to mental health care in custody than inmates outside of CDCR facilities due to steps CDCR has taken to improve their health over the past decades. CDCR has taken extraordinary steps to expand access to mental health care through the use of telepsychiatry and telemental health. And to address the challenge of a national staffing shortage, CDCR has invested in recruiting efforts, streamlined the hiring process, continued to use registered staff to alleviate staffing shortages, and increased salaries and benefits to retain and attract more mental health care providers. CDCR will continue to make strides to make our communities safer, both inside and outside our facilities.” Galvan said everyone, criminal or not, should have access to the mental health care help they need, and if inmates aren’t treated properly, they’re likely to bring those issues home after they serve their sentence. “These people are going to come back to the same communities, and if we don’t provide them with a minimum of support while they’re being punished in prison, it’s only going to create more community need when they return,” he said. The California Crime Council is appealing the contempt order. Read more top California news stories here | Download our app.
A federal court found California prison officials had failed to hire enough mental health professionals to treat inmates and ordered them to pay about $112 million in contempt fines.
This is a case that has been in court for decades.
A San Francisco lawyer representing the inmates said this is not an order to celebrate.
“It would have been a victory to have fixed California prison reform years ago the way it should have been,” Ernest Galvan said.
The huge fine comes from money the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation saves by not filling mental health staff positions.
The judge has ordered the state to deposit the money into a special account to support inmates.
According to court documents, the number of inmates with serious mental illnesses has doubled as they demand more resources, while staffing shortages worsen.
There is currently a shortage of 30% of jobs, from psychiatrists to social workers, and these positions have been vacant for years.
“Many of my clients have severe mental illnesses and are in crisis situations – self-harming or attempting to hang themselves – and wait weeks or months before seeing a clinician,” Galvan says.
“Due to steps CDCR has taken to improve health outcomes over the past several decades, inmates within CDCR often receive more mental health care while in custody than those outside CDCR facilities currently receive,” a CDCR spokesperson said in a statement to KCRA 3 News.
CDCR has taken extraordinary steps to expand access to mental health care through the use of telepsychiatry and telemental health, and to address the challenge of staffing shortages nationwide, CDCR has invested in recruiting efforts, streamlined the hiring process, continued to utilize registered staff to alleviate staffing shortages, and increased salaries and benefits to retain and attract more mental health care providers.
CDCR will continue to work hard to make our communities safer both inside and outside our facilities.”
Galvan said everyone, criminal or not, should have access to the mental health care help they need, and if inmates don’t receive proper treatment, they’re likely to bring those problems home with them after they serve their sentence.
“These people are returning to the same communities and if we don’t provide them with a minimum of support while they are being punished in prison, it will only increase the needs of the community when they return,” he said.
CDCR is appealing the contempt order.
See more California top news stories here | Download the app.
