Requires timely mental health therapy for prisoners

Existing law provides that the supervision, management, and control of the state prisons, and the responsibility for the care, custody, treatment, training, discipline, and employment of persons confined therein are vested in the Secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Existing law requires the secretary to provide facilities and licensed professional personnel for a psychiatric and diagnostic clinic and any such branches thereof as may be required at one or more of the state prisons or institutions under the jurisdiction of the department.

This bill would require the department to conduct mental health treatment for state prison inmates in a manner to accomplish various goals, including providing, to the greatest extent possible, regular and consistent mental health therapy to inmates who seek it, and ensuring that an inmate is provided an introductory mental health therapy appointment within 2 weeks of the inmate requesting care. The bill would also make Legislative findings and declarations.