Health and Wellness

By David Eugene Archer Sr. Journalism Guild Writer Only a few states and the federal government have increased spending on a new generation of drugs to treat hepatitis C, reports The Marshall Project. An estimated 3.5 million people in the U.S. are infected with hepatitis C, and a third of them pass through prisons and jails every year, according to the Feb. 26 report. For doctors and public health experts, this is an opportunity to wipe out the virus in prisons and possibly lower infection rates nationwide, the report notes. It says … [Read more...] about Treatment Costs of Hep C for Inmates on the Rise

By Noel Scott Journalism Guild Writer Medical operations at the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad were turned over again to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) by J. Clark Kelso, the federal receiver, reports the Correctional News. It’s only the second prison (after Folsom) to receive a passing grade from the state inspector general in a decade of federal control. Don Spector, director of the Prison Law Offices, and their experts, however, found problems with the quality and type of care being … [Read more...] about Soledad’s Medical Operations Return Back to CDCR

The psychiatric hospitalizations of Latino youths in California are dramatically outpacing those of White and Black children and young adults, according to state data. Experts are at odds over what is causing the increase. Kaiser Health News reports that between 2007 and 2014, Latinos 21 and younger saw an 86 percent spike in mental health hospitalizations, according to information from the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. In the same period, White and Black youths saw 21 percent and 35 percent increases, … [Read more...] about A Rise in Latino Youth Psychiatric Hospitalization

By Thomas Gardner Journalism Guild Writer Early access to psychiatric care for people who are mentally ill may result in fewer violent incidents and hospitalizations, reports public television station KQED. When the opportunity to treat beginning-stage mental health disorder is missed, then a sort of “snowball” dynamic can be set in motion, where violence and then more violence often is the result, according to Scott Shafer’s story for The Crime Report. “At California’s five state psychiatric hospitals, patients are mostly criminal … [Read more...] about Early Psychiatric Treatment Reduces Violent Incidents

By David Eugene Archer Sr. Journalism Guild Writer The elderly population in state prisons continues to climb, causing financial burdens and other problems, reports Michael Ollove for the Pew Charitable Trusts. State and federal prisoners 65 and older outpaced the total population by 94 to 1 from 2007 to 2010, according to Human Right’s Watch. By 2014, Virginia’s elderly prisoners had grown in number to 7,202, or 20 percent of all inmates. The consequence of this for state prisons is it costs more money for health care for the aged … [Read more...] about Elderly Inmates Burden State Prisons

Dr. Timothy Belavich Contributing Writer Dr. Timothy Belavich answered San Quentin News questions about the delivery of health care services to prisoners. Belavich was formerly acting director of the Division of Health Care Services and deputy director of Statewide Mental Health Program. He is now employed by Los Angeles County. This second series of Dr. Belavich’s answers pertain to custody and the prison culture. In future editions the topics will be Suicide and Use of Force, and Transgender Special Needs. Custody and Prison … [Read more...] about Part 2: New System Designed To Better Monitor Patient Care

By Larry Smith Journalism Guild Writer There were 4,309 in-custody deaths in local jails or state prisons in 2012, an increase of two percent (67 deaths) from 2011, a federal study reports. The number of deaths in local jails increased from 889 in 2011 to 958 in 2012, which marked the first increase since 2009. The increase in deaths in local jails was primarily due to an increase in illness-related deaths (up 24 percent). These deaths accounted for 97 percent of the total increase in deaths in jails and prisons in 2012. The overall … [Read more...] about Federal Study Reports 4,309 In-Custody Deaths

By Charles David Henry Journalism Guild Writer Jails and prisons vary widely in their use of restrictive housing, but a significant number of the prisoners in such lockups have mental problems, a federal report says. Twenty-nine percent of prison inmates and 22 percent of jail inmates with current symptoms of serious psychological distress had spent time in restrictive housing units in the past 12 months, the study says. Those inmates doing time in restrictive housing from 2011-2012 were from various demographic groups, according to a … [Read more...] about Mental Issues Seen In Restricted Housing

By Tommy Bryant Journalism Guild Writer Problems in healthcare persist at the private prisons in California paid to house the state’s overflow population. According to medical receiver Clark Kelso, “Little progress has been made in resolving, much less improving,” medical care at seven private prisons housing 4,200 inmates. Kelso’s statement appeared in a report sent to the three federal judges who oversee the state’s prison systems, according to a Los Angeles Times article by Paige St. John. Four of the seven prisons are owned by … [Read more...] about ‘Poor Healthcare’ At Private Prisons