February 8, 2009
My View: Inmates’ behavior fuels prison health crisis
In the debate over funding a constitutionally adequate prison health care system in California, most people, including politicians and administrators, are missing a key point – the role of personal responsibility.
I worked in the Health Care Services Division of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, or CDCR, for nearly eight years. I was appalled by the system's inability to prevent or discourage irresponsible behavior by prisoners that resulted in substantial medical bills for CDCR, ultimately paid by the overburdened taxpayer. No one seems to be talking about this vexing problem.
J. Clark Kelso, the federal receiver for California's prison health care system, wants $8 billion in taxpayer funds for construction of expanded prison health and housing facilities for the burgeoning prison population. The price alone is enough to outrage many Californians who believe that the state cannot afford such expenditures when it's suffering a major budget deficit…
LINK - SacBee.com
