tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107037609455779557.post2313813954367233905..comments2024-02-28T05:56:28.293-08:00Comments on California Correctional Crisis: Plata/Coleman Decision Analysis: Part IIHadar Aviramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200780666976305749noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107037609455779557.post-7638379194490468152009-08-14T10:12:13.625-07:002009-08-14T10:12:13.625-07:00Just a clarification, neither the Plata reciever n...Just a clarification, neither the Plata reciever nor the Coleman special master testified. I think you must be referring to earlier (ie. before the 3-judge trial) reports each had issued.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107037609455779557.post-29265606021147959152009-08-14T00:47:31.342-07:002009-08-14T00:47:31.342-07:00As an Ex. prison clinician, I understand the hesit...As an Ex. prison clinician, I understand the hesitancy this writer expresses. As I wrote in another comment, I know prisoners with severe psychotic disorders are receiving only Visteril (an antihistamine that sedates) for their psychosis. This is also administered only at bedtime to quiet the tier or if the inmate is extremely loud and disturbing staff. Hence, they are not receiving mental health treatment (this is only one example). Like many, I hoped there would be changes with the leadership of the receivers. There may be in some areas, but not all and certainly not permanent changes. For those in power, the mantra is as always to just wait "them" out, and we will continue as before and "I told you so". <br /><br />CDC will see that those who are released are ones who will recidivate so they can tell the public we get what we deserve. I find many custody and administrative staff interested primarly in taking a pay check home only. The inmates who would be less likely to re-enter are those with long sentences and who have decided they can not continue to live as previously. Most of these inmates are Indeterminant sentences or XXX-to-Life sentences( not all, but many, reach this level of rehab. even in this atmosphere of no formal CDC rehab. Great Britain has performed significant research and proven this. How is it we can not believe rehab. works and human beings are capable of change?<br />Maybe, some day, we the people of the United States of America will accept the responsibility of caring for those who we lock up. I certainly hope so. I like to think we humans accept others as being human and not sub-human, and therefore less deserving than we, because they are less fortunate than we.PAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107037609455779557.post-8418705112528246762009-08-08T20:01:39.765-07:002009-08-08T20:01:39.765-07:00Thanks for your comment, Prison Clinician. I think...Thanks for your comment, Prison Clinician. I think the court (cynically?) points out later in the decision that the saved money from population reduction could be used for developing community programs.Hadar Aviramhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15200780666976305749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107037609455779557.post-85251147973782030202009-08-08T18:25:01.018-07:002009-08-08T18:25:01.018-07:00While I agree with the court's assessment ...w...While I agree with the court's assessment ...with respect to mental health (and i read the opinion which was strong on mental health) - my fear is that the issue will not be addressed comprehensively. There is a reason why an estimated 40-50% (or more) of the inmates are seriously mentally ill. This has to do with continued cutbacks of mental health treatment in the community settings. <br /><br />IF we see a number of inmates being released who are mentally ill, and no corresponding services developed in the community - we will only see <br />large numbers returning to the prison - and CDCR will say something like "told you so" etc. <br /><br />Reform needs to take place not only within the prison system, but also in the community - specialized programs for seriously mentally ill have to be developed at a much larger scale. I'm not at all confident that CDCR is upto such a task, it would require a complete overhaul of the parole outpatient clinic - and its failed model. <br /><br />I think, though, that county mental health, with additional $$$, can develop programs - they have the experience, and infrastructure to do so... Such programs could still maintain close links with parole agents, but with the understanding that mental health treatment is a longer term process - and rules of violation would also need to be looked at again. <br /><br />CDCR has had more than ample time to develop mental health programs - and they've failed. There is a serious conflict of cultures and interest between custody and clinicians, they need to be separated - both within the prisons and outside with regards to providing mental health services to parolees.Prison Cliniciannoreply@blogger.com