{"id":366985,"date":"2023-10-24T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-24T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/calmatters.org\/?post_type=newspack_nl_cpt&p=366985"},"modified":"2026-03-27T10:12:53","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T17:12:53","slug":"california-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"newspack_nl_cpt","link":"https:\/\/calmatters.org\/_ko\/newsletter\/california-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"California mental health care: State prisons, police fall short"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Inmates take laps in the courtyard at San Quentin State Prison on July 26, 2023. Photo by Semantha Norris, CalMatters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Though Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a handful of laws earlier this month to address the state\u2019s mental health crisis \u2014 including a measure to loosen rules about who is eligible for involuntary treatment<\/a> and another that gives voters the opportunity to decide on a multi-billion dollar bond measure<\/a> to add thousands of treatment beds statewide \u2014 it\u2019ll take several months, or even years, to truly know the effect of these initiatives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until then, inadequacies of California\u2019s mental and behavioral health systems continue to manifest \u2014 at times resulting in violent outcomes for bystanders<\/a> but mostly for those who seek or need treatment themselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, California will face more than $50 million in fines for providing inadequate mental health care in its state prisons and failing a court-ordered mandate to fill mental health staffing vacancies, reports \uc0c8\ud06c\ub77c\uba58\ud1a0 \ube44<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n

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The fines are part of a federal lawsuit stretching back from 1995 involving prisoners with serious mental disorders, their high suicide rates and the state\u2019s lack of proper treatment \u2014 a violation of the U.S. constitition\u2019s ban on cruel and unusual punishments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation submitted plans in 2009 to improve its mental health care system, plaintiffs argue that it has been unsuccessful at implementing appropriate suicide prevention measures, including maintaining a job vacancy rate for psychiatrists and other health care staff at 10% or below. More than one-third of state prisoners have serious mental health disorders, according to court documents<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The department does not comment on ongoing litigation, but a department spokesperson, Terri Hardy, pointed out in an email statement that state prisons have made some improvements, despite the fact that they are located in rural communities, which are \u201chistorically difficult to staff.\u201d In August, the union representing state prison doctors \u2014 which are some of the best-paid public employees \u2014 threatened to strike over staffing shortages<\/a> before reaching a new labor agreement a month later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n