Calif. stripped of control over prison health care

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A federal judge stripped California of control of its prison health care system on Thursday, describing it as “broken” and needing an outside authority to bring it back in line.

In his ruling in a long-running class-action lawsuit, U.S. District Court Judge Thelton Henderson sharply criticized the health care system under which one inmate a week dies.

The ruling comes amid agreement between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers that the state’s overall prison system in desperate need of an overhaul.

The initiative by the Hollywood movie star to restructure the corrections system starts on Friday.

An appointed receiver would report directly to Henderson.

“The current $1 billion per year prison health-care system is broken in every conceivable way,” said state Sen. Jackie Speier. “Judge Henderson’s decision provides hope, which must be followed by the administration’s commitment to building upon that hope with funding and leadership.”

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