By Norimitsu Onishi
The New York Times
Originally published April 5, 2013
A federal judge on Friday rejected California’s motion to regain control of mental health care in its prisons, ruling that the quality of care failed to meet standards required by the Constitution. The move dealt a blow to Gov. Jerry Brown’s broader efforts to bring the prisons back under the state’s authority.
In a ruling handed down about 90 days after the state first argued that enough improvements had been made to mental health care after 18 years of outside control, Judge Lawrence K. Karlton of United States District Court in Sacramento wrote that there were “ongoing constitutional violations” and that court oversight “remains necessary to remedy those violations.”
In a statement, Deborah Hoffman, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said that the judge had not given enough weight to experts and evidence showing that mental health care in the prisons was “a model for the nation.” She said that the state will appeal.
The entire story is here.
