Concerns Over Psychiatric Care in California's Prison System Persist

Over ten years ago, a federal judge assigned special oversight to mental health care in California's prison system. This week the State of California asked that those provisions be removed. According to an article in The California Report, and circulated by KQED, that request is hampered by the persistence of a high suicide rate among inmates.

read more in... State Seeks Return to Full Control over Prison System Mental Health Care

Because developmentally disabled adults living in the wider community often wind up in the prison system when their behavior issues can not be appropriately managed, the Parent Hospital Association (PHA) has long advocated for better mental health support outside developmental centers. PHA has also argued for the extension of services available at the centers to those living in the community.

You can read more about this issued on this blog:
• Conservator appeals to PHA for help in court case 08.23.2012
• When the disabled slip through the cracks 06.09.2011
• Ruling spotlights problems for developmentally disabled in California's prison system 10.21.2010