By Robin Miller and Melissa Murphy
Contra Costa Times
Judges take on Calif. prison overcrowding: Inmates’ release is on the table
VACAVILLE — The federal receiver appointed to deal with state prison crowding is making plans to build a 1,400-bed inmate medical and mental health facility on land behind Vacaville’s two state prisons.
The proposed site for the facility is within prison boundaries but would require removal of some orchard farmland behind Keating Park.
The facility is proposed as part of a mandate by the federal courts to bring medical and mental health care up to U.S. constitutional standards. The courts removed the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from control of the health care system in the prisons and appointed a receiver to take on that role.
In order to achieve improved health care, the receiver plans to have seven health care facilities, providing about 5,000 medical and 5,000 mental health patient beds, constructed at prison facilities across the state.
Vacaville has been selected for one of the sites due to its existing prisons, including California Medical Facility, and its proximity to larger urban areas where a qualified pool of doctors, nurses and other professionals can be found, state officials said.
Exact details of the 1,400-bed facility haven’t been mapped out, though according to state information, it will likely be from one- to three-stories high and will include housing clusters, a diagnostic and treatment center, an armory, warehousing and support facilities, a central plant, outdoor recreation fields, a gatehouse, staff facilities and parking areas. The facility would be surrounded with lethal electrified fencing and a sally port and guard towers would be required.
In addition to the new facility, the receiver is also looking at creation of a 64-bed mental health inpatient facility. That facility is mandated by settlement of another lawsuit by inmates and will be built with or without the 1,400-bed facility.
Richard Stapler, director of community outreach for the receiver, said the plan is to incorporate the mental health beds as part of the larger project. In fact, if built, the 1,400-bed facility would include half for medical patients and half for mental patients, he said.
Due to the scope of the projects, an environmental impact report will be required before anything can be built. That report will look at issues such as aesthetics, agricultural impacts, air quality, geology, soil and mineral resources, hydrology and water quality, land use and planning, noise, population and housing, utilizes, water supply and more. There will be a public meeting Monday designed to allow local officials and residents to give input on what they want to see the report cover.
Among those who are anticipating the hearing is Vacaville City Manager David Van Kirk, who said he, Mayor Len Augustine and Assistant City Manager Laura Kuhn all plan to attend.
“We’ve certainly been briefed on it, but we want to find out more information,” Van Kirk said. “We want to make sure that certain issues are addressed in the EIR.”
The number one issue, according to Van Kirk is lack of sewer capacity. The pipelines serving CMF and California State Prison, Solano, are already operating at capacity.
Other issues include additional parking for visitors and how many times the Vacaville Fire Department will have to respond to the new facility, Van Kirk said.
He also said that there are several ongoing issues related to the current facilities that the city will bring up during Monday’s meeting.
“The EIR will take into account a whole host of things,” he said. “We hope to find out more during that process.”
Copyright 2008 Contra Costa Newspapers