Opinion: Prison Health Cuts Could Create Larger Problems
The budget package that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) signed this year cuts $820 million from prison health services, "crippling a system that has been placed under federal receivership because of gross patient neglect," Jim Lindburg -- legislative director for the Friends Committee on Legislation of California -- writes in a Sacramento Bee opinion piece. Although the state has proposed new construction projects to address prison overcrowding, Lindburg writes that "[c]utting mental health services or drug treatment programs while prioritizing prison and jail construction will not solve California's prison crisis."
- "Viewpoints: State Budget Held Hostage by Prison Costs" (Lindburg, Sacramento Bee, 11/9).