Concerns Raised Over Proposal to Transfer Mentally Ill Inmates

By Kenny Goldberg / Health Reporter, KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published February 21, 2007 at 12:53 PM PST

This story was published more than 17 years ago.

A state plan to transfer responsibility of mentally ill inmates to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is raising concerns. KPBS Reporter Kenny Goldberg has the story.

A state plan to transfer responsibility of mentally ill inmates to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is raising concerns. KPBS Reporter Kenny Goldberg has the story.

The California Department of Mental Health manages psychiatric care in state prisons. The Department of Corrections is proposing to take over that operation. It also wants to add mental health facilities at seven prisons.

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Attorney Michael Bien represents mentally ill inmates.

Bien: For them to be able to build, and license and operate the highest level of acute psychiatric care would be an astronomical task, that's far beyond their administrative abilities.

A court-appointed monitor of the state prison system says correction officials have no track record of providing mental health care. The state attorney general is expected to offer his opinion this week.

Kenny Goldberg, KPBS News