Addressing Chronic Vacancies in Prison Mental Health Care

Feb 23, 2026 - In court filings, CDCR indicated to the Coleman court that it planned to deactivate 249 inpatient beds because “from September 2024 to present, between 40  percent and 48  percent of inpatient beds have been empty and unused. ” CDCR informed the court that closing such beds would still provide a sufficient buffer to accommodate fluctuations in the inpatient mental health population in the near term.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5134

The 2026-27 Budget: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Feb 23, 2026 - Newsom , was filed in federal court alleging that the state violated the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibiting cruel and unusual punishment by providing inadequate mental health care in the state ’s prisons.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5137