Calif. prisons end controversial dental policy
June 23, 2008 -- The prison health program in California will discontinue a policy that forced female inmates to opt for multiple extractions in order to participate in popular programs that require a clean bill of health, the San Francisco Chronicle reported in a recent story.
The controversy started when a San Jose Mercury story revealed earlier this year that female inmates were choosing to have numerous teeth pulled rather than wait long periods for a prison dentist to treat their condition. Bad teeth disqualified them from participating in vocational-training and drug-rehabilitation programs, including one that allowed them to live with their children in special housing.
"Officials with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation say the dental and health clearances are necessary because the specialized programs are based at smaller community prisons and don't have dentists or doctors on site," explained the San Jose Mercury story.
The policy has now been discontinued after Jeffrey D. Thompson, the director of California's prison health care programs, came under severe criticism by members of the Senate Rules Committee. Thompson told the San Jose Mercury News that his department is making plans to contract with dentists in locations near the programs that house the 71 participants in the "mother-infant" program.
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