Public Safety

Paroling Inmates On Life Support Could Save California Millions

By Joanne Faryon / Investigative Reporter

Published September 3, 2010 at 12:09 PM PDT

This story was published more than 14 years ago.

A sick prisoner sleeps in the hospital unit at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville.

Paroling Inmates On Life Support Could Save California Millions

A bill that would release sick prison inmates on parole is one step away from becoming law. Both houses of the state legislature passed a medical parole bill that would save the state millions of dollars.

Some of California’s sickest prison inmates are in comas, and some are hooked up to life support.

Clark Kelso is the federally appointed receiver in charge of prison health care.

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"They are really incapacitated and not able to move. They pose no threat to public safety,” says Kelso.

Kelso says the new medical parole bill could potentially release 30 of these inmates, saving the state $40 million in health care costs.

However, taxpayers would still foot the bill. Once on parole, most of the inmates’ health care bills will be covered by the federal government.

The governor has 30 days to veto or sign the bill into law.

Public Safety

Joanne Faryon

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As an investigative reporter, Joanne Faryon worked with the team of journalists at inewsource, a nonprofit journalism enterprise embedded in the KPBS newsroom. Faryon has more than 20 years of experience as a journalist, working in a print, radio and TV. She previously worked in Canada and the U.S., specializing in investigative reporting. During her time at KPBS, Faryon served as reporter, host, and producer for both TV and radio. Among her many stories and investigations is the 2010 look into the effectiveness of the Whooping Cough vaccine. The series of in-depth features lead the Centers for Disease Control re-examine their reporting and change their guidelines. Faryon’s work has been honored by the USC's Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism with the Walter Cronkite Award for political journalism. The prestigious honor was for the Envision special, “Who’s Supervising San Diego?” – an in-depth look at the County’s Board of Supervisors. Faryon has also received an honorable mention from the National Press Foundation in 2010 for an in-depth look at the state's prison system as part of the Envision series. In addition, Faryon has earned two regional Emmys and several awards from the San Diego Press Club and the Society of Professional Journalists. Her Canadian honors include a Manitoba Human Rights award for meritorious service for her investigative work on the Ku Klux Klan and right-wing extremism in Canada. Joanne has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Winnipeg and a creative communications diploma from Red River College.

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