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Public Safety

Life In Prison: California Medical Facility

California Medial Facility

As part of our ongoing investigation into prisons, we spent a day at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, California. CMF is a prison that houses aging, infirm, and ill inmates. It also has a hospice unit for terminally ill inmates.

Aging inmates are among the fastest growing segments of the inmate population, according to government statistics. They also cost three times more than younger inmates because of age-related health care costs. Health care for inmates accounts for almost twenty percent of the state's total corrections budget.

The Project Envision documentary, "Life in Prison," will air Jan. 25 at 9 p. m. on KPBS Television.

KPBS has created a public safety coverage policy to guide decisions on what stories we prioritize, as well as whose narratives we need to include to tell complete stories that best serve our audiences. This policy was shaped through months of training with the Poynter Institute and feedback from the community. You can read the full policy here.