Prison Mental Health Care For Sale
The Santa Barbara County CA jail mental health system officially is for sale. The prospective buyer — a private Tennessee-based prison health company — is already lined up with a July 1 move-in date, as reported by the Santa Barbara Independent.
This is the way the Sheriff’s Department broke the news at a special meeting of the Santa Barbara County Mental Health Commission on Tuesday, informing the council of the proposed transition of mental health services from county Mental Health to the private company Prison Health Services (PHS). The pitch, helmed by Sheriff Bill Brown, touched on the department’s various budget problems and the need to improve mental health services in County Jail, which oversees the largest number of the mentally ill in the county. “Over the years — with the closure of mental health facilities across the state — County Jail has become the de facto mental health facility,” Brown explained. “The jail is not the best place for people with mental health problems; however, there will always be people in the county’s jail with mental illness because of the nature of the crimes committed.”
According to the proposed plan, PHS would sign a two-year contract to operate its jail mental health services, with an option to extend the contract for an additional two years. A contract with PHS would allow the jail to obtain what officials call crucial mental health objectives currently unmet by county Mental Health: Institute for Medical Quality accreditation, two on-site licensed social workers, 24/7 coverage for mental health assessments, and others. With one out of five incarcerated Americans suffering from mental illness, Sheriff’s officials say the ailing, 38-year-old jail is not only grossly overcrowded — around 50 inmates above capacity each day — but unable to meet its mental health needs …
Brown said the PHS contract would save more than $500,000 in a so-called apple-to-apple comparison. In layman’s terms, PHS could provide the services conducted by Mental Health, plus more, $500,000 cheaper. Both Brown and Mental Health officials assured council and community members repeatedly that the plan to privatize jail mental health services is not a reflection of the performance of current county Mental Health staff. However, George Green — a member of SEIU Local 620, representing jail mental health workers — argued that the plan would wrest jobs away from Santa Barbarans. “I respect Sheriff Brown a great deal, [however] I am shocked by this group’s decision,” Green said. “The county must first engage in bargaining with the union before such a plan in finalized.”
CA Santa Barbara County, California, Inmate Health Care, Mental Health Issues, PHS
Recent Comments