(KMJ) Under a proposed settlement with Fresno County officials, prisoners in the Fresno County Jail will no longer be denied adequate health care.
The agreement, filed Wednesday in federal court in Fresno, would settle a class action lawsuit on behalf of all present and future prisoners in the county jail.
“The settlement provides tangible improvements for individuals who would otherwise suffer from inadequate and, at times, non-existent medical and mental health care. The result is hugely impactful for this vulnerable group of people who have no ability to procure these critical services for themselves,” said Maureen Alger, pro bono partner at Cooley LLP.
The settlement includes a 22-page remedial plan that describes the obligations that the Sheriff and Corizon Health, a private contractor, must take to improve conditions in the jail. Among other things, the remedial plan provides that:
– prisoners with chronic illnesses will receive necessary medications;
– pregnant inmates will receive timely and appropriate prenatal care, postpartum care, counseling, and specialized obstetrical services when indicated;
– suicidal prisoners will be given a risk assessment;
– prisoners with serious mental illness in solitary confinement will be taken out of their cells for recreation a minimum of seven hours per week and mental health treatment will be offered three times per week;
– prisoners with disabilities will be housed in the most integrated and appropriate housing possible, based on their disabilities; and
– more than 100 additional correctional officers will be hired to reduce inmate-on-inmate violence.
Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims offered this response to the settlement:
“The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office will continue to work with the Dept. of Health who has management of the contract for jail medical and psychological services. We will work collaboratively to meet the obligations of the remedial plan and continue to comply with all applicable laws in providing for the safety and security of inmates.”
