California Ponders Living Wills for Inmates

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California Corrections Director Jeanne Woodford recently said said a task force will be reviewing the department policy on living wills for terminally ill inmates.

The California Department of Corrections (CDC) recently spent $1.27 million in just six months on medical care for six comatose inmates last year, not including the added $1,000 per day to provide security at hospitals. One inmate hurt with a foam bullet during an altercation was in the hospital for two months until he died, costing the department $851,880.

The state may need to find a way for inmates to sign release forms to indicate their health care wishes and do a better job notifying family members, said Democratic Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero, who scheduled a hearing on the problem.

Although inmates are in CDC custody, private doctors make medical decisions once inmates go to outside hospitals, and there is often confusion over when family members should be brought in to help with care decisions. Romero said the situation becomes difficult because nobody knows who’s in charge.