If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing or texting “988.”
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California could face more than $40 million in fines after it failed to improve suicide prevention measures in state prisons despite a federal judge’s warning that she would impose financial penalties for each violation.
Chief U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller told state officials over a year ago that she would start imposing fines unless they implemented 15 suicide prevention protocols that had been lacking for nearly a decade.
But court expert Lindsay Hayes reported March 1 that the state continues to lag on 14 of the 15 safeguards. The state even regressed in such areas as failing to house prisoners in suicide-resistant cells when they are first placed in segregation, often including solitary confinement, in which prisoners are particularly vulnerable. The special cells lack hooks, wire grates, or other protrusions from which prisoners can hang themselves, for instance.
Suicides have long been a problem in California prisons and are considered a bellwether of a broader, decades-long lack of adequate prison mental health care. They are one of several ongoing issues at the center of a class-action federal lawsuit that dates to 1990.
“Mr. Hayes’ finding of backsliding with respect to some of the remaining recommendations is deeply concerning, particularly in light of the nine years that have passed since he initially offered these recommendations,” wrote Matt …
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If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing or texting “988.”
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California could face more than $40 million in fines after it failed to improve suicide prevention measures in state prisons despite a federal judge’s warning that she would impose financial penalties for each violation.
Chief U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller told state officials over a year ago that she would start imposing fines unless they implemented 15 suicide prevention protocols that had been lacking for nearly a decade.
But court expert Lindsay Hayes reported March 1 that the state continues to lag on 14 of the 15 safeguards. The state even regressed in such areas as failing to house prisoners in suicide-resistant cells when they are first placed in segregation, often including solitary confinement, in which prisoners are particularly vulnerable. The special cells lack hooks, wire grates, or other protrusions from which prisoners can hang themselves, for instance.
Suicides have long been a problem in California prisons and are considered a bellwether of a broader, decades-long lack of adequate prison mental health care. They are one of several ongoing issues at the center of a class-action federal lawsuit that dates to 1990.
“Mr. Hayes’ finding of backsliding with respect to some of the remaining recommendations is deeply concerning, particularly in light of the nine years that have passed since he initially offered these recommendations,” wrote Matt …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]