NCJ Number
174034
Date Published
1998
Length
73 pages
Annotation
Health care in California State prisons is examined with respect to its scope and costs, legal requirements, care in specific settings, and particular problem diseases.
Abstract
The State's prison population has increased rapidly in recent years. Prison health care is subject to the 1974 United States Supreme Court decision requiring sufficient health care. Incoming prisoners undergo a medical evaluation and mental health diagnostic test. California's prisons spend around $500 million each year on inmate health care, an increase from $310 million in 1992. The Department of Corrections created a new Health Care Services Division in 1992 to determine an appropriate package of medical services, establish a management review system, and negotiate master contracts. These efforts have reduced health care costs per inmates. Particular problem diseases and conditions include HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, hepatitis, drug abuse, and disabilities. Policy options for potential action include improved continuity of information from county jails to State prisons, a broader range of correctional alternatives for the geriatric population, the privatization of prison health care services, further programs for inmate mothers and their children, and other actions. Figures, tables, reference notes, and appended background information