June 17, 2009
Federal judge to hear Corrections plan on care for mentally ill inmates
The pressure's on California's Department of Corrections to ink a deal by tomorrow to provide mental health care to inmates. A federal judge in Sacramento has ordered the state to present a final plan on how to get the job done. KPCC's Julie Small reports the state's had more than a decade to comply.
Julie Small: Attorneys for inmates sued California in the 1990s for failing to provide adequate treatment for thousands of prisoners with mental illnesses. The state settled the suit with an agreement to build new psychiatric care facilities and hire qualified staff. But Michael Bien, the attorney for the inmates, says little has changed…
LINK - SCPR.org
