Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Inmate Details Abuse, Attacks And Death In Book About Florida Prison
Miami Herald: Inmate’s Book Describes Hellish Life In Florida Prisons
Four years ago, Harold Hempstead stunned the Florida prison system — and unleashed a major scandal — when he described to the Miami Herald how officers at Dade Correctional Institution had locked an inmate in a small, rigged shower room, turned the water on full hot and left him, screaming for mercy, for nearly two hours, until he collapsed and died, the skin peeling off his body. Hempstead called it torture. A lot of people agreed. (Mansoor, 11/1)
San Francisco Chronicle: Report Rips California Prison Psychiatric Care, Cites Horrifying Case Of Inmate Who Ate Her Eyeball
California’s chief prison psychiatrist has issued a scathing report on management of mental health care in the prisons, saying officials are misrepresenting the care given to thousands of prisoners and are jeopardizing the health of inmates — including a woman who, in a horrifying 2017 incident, pulled out her own eye and swallowed it. (Egelko, 11/1)
East Oregonian: OHA Wants $2.7 Million To Help Mentally Ill Inmates
State health officials are seeking $2.7 million to add beds at the state’s psychiatric hospital in Junction City to house a burgeoning number of mentally ill inmates from county jails. The money, sought from the legislative Emergency Board, would pay for 25 beds and staff for six months. The request comes as state lawmakers renew their focus on diverting mentally ill Oregonians from the criminal justice system to mental health treatment and resources. (Achen, 11/1)
