I waz right!

Wow. I think I was right. On Monday I posted my thoughts about an article concerning the medical needs of Californians aging prison population. I had suggested that the CDC was not up to the task and would loose the medical responsibility.

Well it happened. Yesterday a federal judge took over the CDC's medical system and gave it to a receiver. [LA Times article]. I suspect that the CDC wanted this to happen. It gives them a lot of leverage to get more money for their budget.

The more I think about it, the more sense it makes to me to separate the health care department and put it under the control of a state health department. If the state of California is responsible for the health care of a person, be it a prisoner, wards of the state, perhaps employees(?), then it should have a department dedicate to providing this service. Or at least managing contracted service providers. The only thing the CDC has to do is provide a secure facility for the state health care department to work for inmates in the custody of the CDC.

It will keep the CDC from spending health care money on other things, like housing for guards, bribes, and whatever else they waste money on.

I also see that starting today the CDC has banned smoking in the state prisons. Good! But I can't help but wonder how tempting it will be for the staff to get in on the tobacco smuggling racket. I read that a tin of tobacco that sells for $10 in any store will fetch $200 inside prison. Since tobacco is not illegal, there is almost no risk for the employees. If they are caught with a pack of smokes in their pocket, is that a cause for punishment? No. Unless caught red-handed handing a pack of smokes to an inmate, then they are fine. It would be an easy way to earn a few extra hundred dollars a month.

As much as I abhor smoking, I can't help but think that perhaps the CDC should establish a outdoor smoking area in the prison and sell cigarettes to inmates one at time for immediate consumption. Then use the profits towards medical care. After all, they can't even keep drugs out of prison. If anyone is going to profit from tobacco, it should be the inmate's health care system. Not the prison gangs and crooked officers.