California's Prisoners Dilemma

Under the state's new Public Safety Realignment Plan, the State of California is shifting responsibility for low-level offenders from the state to counties, which will aid the state's efforts to abide by a U.S. Supreme Court order to reduce the prison population by 33,000.

California prisoners tend to be disproportionately sicker than the general population and, upon reentry to communities throughout the state, are likely to be medically uninsured and indigent. How will cash-strapped local governments meet the basic medical needs of this population? Will community health be at greater risk? Which communities will be most affected?

Featured Speakers

Greg Ridgeway
Director, RAND Safety and Justice Program; Director, RAND Center on Quality Policing, RAND Corporation

Lois Davis
Senior Policy Researcher, RAND Corporation

J. Clark Kelso
Receiver, California Correctional Health Care Services

R. Steven Tharratt
Statewide Chief Medical Executive, California Correctional Health Care Services