As California's prison system experiences continual growth and severe overcrowding, its Health Care becomes even more difficult to operate successfully; Information Technology will need to be utilized in order to provide inmates with reasonable Health Care in both an efficient and effective manner.

The Problem......

Right now, the 33 California State Prisons house a combined total of 170,000 inmates which is double the amount that the prisons were built to hold. As a result of this overcrowding, one inmate dies every six to seven days as a result of 'disgraceful' medical care. In fact, four years ago at San Quentin, an inmate was prescribed two drugs to treat kidney problems. However, those drugs only made the kidney problems worse and the inmate eventually perished because of the error.

How is a problem of this magnitude fixed or at least acceptably controlled? Medical care of California inmates has even been ruled in violation of the Eighth Amendment which cites cruel and unusual punishment. Naturally, the construction of new facilities should be provided within the next five years. However, will that serve as the solution to a problem of this magnitude?

The Solution......

California has a new prison IT plan. Clark Kelso, the project lead, advises that this will be a 'ground up' effort as they strive for creating a healthcare system that meets constitutional standards and can eventually be maintained by the state. Even though IT will not be the 'only' answer to this problem; with time, it will ultimately serve as the saving grace. The first step towards the solution is to standardize the business process within the state prison Health Care system. New technology will then be deployed in all of the state's facilities but will be overseen by a third party and eventually returned to the state's control.

What Does This Mean?

Vendors will be called upon to provide their services for valuable opportunities in the Health Care and Justice/Public Safety verticals. Other states will eventually experience similar problems as prison overcrowding continues to be a looming trend. It would be smart to look to other states' corrections systems and be able to provide a proactive solution.

Be sure to read the complete articles: Can Technology Fix California Prison Health Care? and California's New Prison IT Plan