![]() ![]() And we have looked at the healthcare, mental health and substance abuse facilities in those communities: the safety nets. ![]() We have studied where prisoners go when they are released, using state parolee data to track their return to California's 58 counties and to specific communities within those counties. Based on data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an estimated 9.7% of Californians age 18 years or older in 2007 met the diagnostic criteria for alcohol or illicit drug dependence or abuse, a far lower percentage than that reported by California inmates. state prison population is nearly three times greater than it is in the U.S. ![]() The prevalence of bipolar disorder among the U.S. However, we know from national studies that the prevalence of schizophrenia or other psychotic disorder is three to five times higher in the inmate population than it is in the total U.S. In terms of substance abuse or dependence, 58% of California inmates reported symptoms that met the diagnostic criteria for drug abuse or dependence, and 55% for alcohol abuse or dependence.Īlthough these percentages are high, because they are self-reported data these findings are not directly comparable to estimates of prevalence. Of those with recent symptoms, 20% reported symptoms of major depression, 42% reported symptoms of mania disorder and 16% reported symptoms of a psychotic disorder. About 55% of inmates reported a recent history of or symptoms of mental illness. If left untreated, such infectious diseases have implications for the public health of the communities to which ex-offenders will return.Ĭalifornia inmates' needs for mental health and drug treatment services are even more substantial. Moreover, 13% reported having been diagnosed with tuberculosis, 13% with hepatitis and 9% with sexually transmitted diseases. The Rand Corp.'s ongoing study on the public health implications of prisoner reentry has found that 18% of California inmates report having been diagnosed with hypertension, 8% with cardiac problems and 5% with diabetes - all chronic conditions that require medical management. It is well known that California prisoners tend to be disproportionately sicker on average than the California population. The problems the prisoners contend with are serious. And of course these prisoners ultimately return to our communities, bringing their medical needs to places where the healthcare safety net is fraying at best. Many also have chronic conditions or infectious diseases that need to be treated and managed. Many of those incarcerated, whether in state prisons or county jails, have significant medical, mental health and drug treatment needs that counties are ill-equipped to handle. Can strapped local governments really do any better? The chief reason the court ordered a reduction in the prison population was the failure of the state to meet the basic medical needs of prisoners. Local criminal justice systems are also likely to come under additional strain.Īnd there's another consequence that hasn't been talked about as much: The strain on local budgets of trying to meet the healthcare needs of this population. Jails, many of which are already overcrowded, are likely to become more crowded, and they often lack the capacity to provide the rehabilitative services needed by this population. The most obvious may be, as Antonovich alluded to, public safety. Supreme Court decision ordering California to reduce its prison population by 30,000 - to be achieved in part by having more low-level offenders serve their time in county jails - is going to have serious repercussions. ![]() Antonovich likens the impending prisoner influx to a "bar scene - a violent bar scene that you saw in 'Star Wars.'" The reality that tens of thousands of California state prisoners may soon be sent to local lockups is beginning to hit home. ![]()
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