California Medical Facility
Encyclopedia
California Medical Facility (CMF) is a male-only state prison located in the city of Vacaville
, Solano County, California
. It is older than California State Prison, Solano
, the other state prison in Vacaville
.
With a "general acute care hospital, correctional treatment center (CTC), licensed elderly care unit, in-patient and out-patient psychiatric facilities, a hospice unit for terminally ill inmates, housing and treatment for inmates identified with AIDS
/HIV
, general population, and other special inmate housing," it is known as "the [California] prison system's health care flagship" and "has many of its best clinical programs." CMF has the largest hospital among California prisons. Furthermore, "the Department of Mental Health operates a licensed, acute care psychiatric hospital within CMF."
In 2005, CMF had 506 medical staff positions (many of which were not filled) and a health care budget of $72 million. As of Fiscal Year 2006/2007, CMF had a total of 1,853 staff and an annual budget of $180 million. As of September 2007, it had a design capacity of 2,179 but a total institution population of 3,047, for an occupancy rate of 139.9 percent.
, clean and repair Perkins Brailler
machines, and resurface eyeglasses.
In 1984, the California prison system's first AIDS case was treated at CMF, and later "the system's first specialized AIDS facilities" were developed there.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the quality of medical care at CMF was found to be lacking, as evidenced by the following:
In 1996 at CMF, "a 17-bed, state-licensed hospice began caring for dying inmates" which was the first hospice among California prisons. Due to an increasing population of elderly at CMF, a nursing home with 21 beds opened in September 2005 "as a pilot program."
Vacaville, California
Vacaville, California is a city located in the northeastern portion of the San Francisco Bay Area in Solano County. The city is nearly half way between Sacramento and San Francisco on I-80. It sits approximately from Sacramento, and from San Francisco...
, Solano County, California
Solano County, California
Solano County is a county located in Bay-Delta region of the U.S. state of California, about halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento and is one of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. The county's population was reported by the U.S. Census to be 413,344 in 2010...
. It is older than California State Prison, Solano
California State Prison, Solano
California State Prison, Solano is a male-only state prison located in the city of Vacaville, Solano County, California, adjacent to the California Medical Facility...
, the other state prison in Vacaville
Vacaville Prison
Two prisons are located in Vacaville, California, USA:* California Medical Facility * California State Prison, SolanoThese two prisons are located together at the base of several hills on the outskirts of Vacaville. These prisons are also located fairly close to Travis Air Force Base.See also: List...
.
Facilities
CMF's facilities include Level I ("Open dormitories without a secure perimeter") housing, Level II ("Open dormitories with secure perimeter fences and armed coverage") housing, and Level III ("Individual cells, fenced perimeters and armed coverage") housing.With a "general acute care hospital, correctional treatment center (CTC), licensed elderly care unit, in-patient and out-patient psychiatric facilities, a hospice unit for terminally ill inmates, housing and treatment for inmates identified with AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
/HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
, general population, and other special inmate housing," it is known as "the [California] prison system's health care flagship" and "has many of its best clinical programs." CMF has the largest hospital among California prisons. Furthermore, "the Department of Mental Health operates a licensed, acute care psychiatric hospital within CMF."
In 2005, CMF had 506 medical staff positions (many of which were not filled) and a health care budget of $72 million. As of Fiscal Year 2006/2007, CMF had a total of 1,853 staff and an annual budget of $180 million. As of September 2007, it had a design capacity of 2,179 but a total institution population of 3,047, for an occupancy rate of 139.9 percent.
History
CMF opened in 1955. Among other programs at CMF, the Blind Project began in 1960. Inmates who participate in the project create audiobooks, transcribe books into BrailleBraille
The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...
, clean and repair Perkins Brailler
Perkins Brailler
The Perkins Brailler is a "braille typewriter" with a key corresponding to each of the six dots of the braille code, a space key, a backspace key, and a line space key. Like a manual typewriter, it has two side knobs to advance paper through the machine and a carriage return lever above the keys...
machines, and resurface eyeglasses.
In 1984, the California prison system's first AIDS case was treated at CMF, and later "the system's first specialized AIDS facilities" were developed there.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the quality of medical care at CMF was found to be lacking, as evidenced by the following:
- After an investigation, the U.S. Justice DepartmentUnited States Department of JusticeThe United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
sent a January 1987 letter to then-Governor George DeukmejianGeorge DeukmejianCourken George Deukmejian, Jr. born June 6, 1928) is an Armenian American politician from California who as a Republican served as the 35th Governor of California and as California Attorney General .-Early life:...
stating that CMF "deprive[s] inmates of their right to be free from deliberate indifference to their serious medical needs." - A 1988 lawsuit charged that CMF was "a filthy, vermin-infested, overcrowded prison," and that medical care there was "grossly inadequate." Although at the time "all inmates in California prisons" with HIV/AIDS were sent to CMF, the suit claimed that "overcrowded housing and medical conditions in the AIDS wing are worse than in the main prison." A 1990 consent decreeConsent decreeA consent decree is a final, binding judicial decree or judgment memorializing a voluntary agreement between parties to a suit in return for withdrawal of a criminal charge or an end to a civil litigation...
caused CMF's health care to "operat[e] under a separate set of rules and with supervision by a court-appointed expert," but a 1998 agreement "plac[ed] the medical and psychiatric care at the facility under the same rules and guidelines as those affecting the rest of the state prison system." - A 1989 lawsuit by HIV-infected inmates at CMF claimed that separate housing limited their access to prison services (such as recreation, visitation, and jobs) and subjected them to "unnecessary mental anguish." A consent decree led to "a pilot program to integrate up to 30 of the 140 AIDS-infected inmates at Vacaville [i.e., CMF] into the prison's general population."
- In spring 1992, "the two top H.I.V. specialists at the prison resigned, frustrated by limited resources and what they described as institutionalized apathy toward AIDS among inmates." The California State Assembly's Public Safety Committee wrote a 1992 report criticizing the care of inmates with HIV or disabilities at CMF. By January 1993, CMF had "embarked on a $5.8 million plan to improve the care of AIDS patients," including "a renovated housing unit, a hospice, an enlarged staff, an ombudsman to hear complaints, warmer clothes and nutritional supplements and sensitivity training for guards."
In 1996 at CMF, "a 17-bed, state-licensed hospice began caring for dying inmates" which was the first hospice among California prisons. Due to an increasing population of elderly at CMF, a nursing home with 21 beds opened in September 2005 "as a pilot program."
Infamous inmates
- Juan CoronaJuan CoronaJuan Vallejo Corona is a Mexican-born serial killer in the United States.He was convicted of the 1971 murders of 25 itinerant laborers; men who had been found buried in shallow graves in the orchards of fruit ranches in Sutter County, California, along the Feather River north of Yuba City, where...
spent "part of his time" after his first (1973) conviction at CMF. - Richard Allen DavisRichard Allen DavisRichard Allen Davis is a convicted murderer, whose criminal record fueled support for passage of California's "Three strikes law" for repeat offenders...
was at CMF twice. In 1974, after being arrested for burglary, he was sent to CMF "for a 90-diagnostic study." He was also sentenced to spend six years in CMF for a separate burglary beginning August 1975, but was "paroled a year later." - Edmund KemperEdmund KemperEdmund Emil "Big Ed" Kemper III , also known as "The Co-ed Killer", is an American serial killer who was active in California in the early 1970s. He started his criminal life by shooting both his grandparents when he was 15 years old. Kemper later killed and dismembered six female hitchhikers in...
is a current inmate who was incarcerated "a short time after" his 1972-1973 murders. He was denied parole in July 2007 but will be eligible for another parole hearing in July 2012. - Timothy LearyTimothy LearyTimothy Francis Leary was an American psychologist and writer, known for his advocacy of psychedelic drugs. During a time when drugs like LSD and psilocybin were legal, Leary conducted experiments at Harvard University under the Harvard Psilocybin Project, resulting in the Concord Prison...
served time at CMF in 1973-1974 "for possession of marijuana and escape from a minimum security prison at San Luis Obispo [i.e., California Men's ColonyCalifornia Men's ColonyCalifornia Men's Colony is a male-only state prison located northwest of the city of San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County, California, along the central California coast approximately halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco.-Facilities:...
]". - Charles MansonCharles MansonCharles Milles Manson is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders carried out by members of the group at his instruction...
was transferred from Folsom State PrisonFolsom State PrisonFolsom State Prison is a California State Prison located in the city of Folsom, California, northeast from the state capital of Sacramento. Opened in 1880, Folsom is the second-oldest prison in the state of California after San Quentin and was the first in the country to have electricity...
to CMF in March 1974 based on "deterioration of his mental condition"; he was returned to Folsom in October 1974. He was again transferred to CMF in May 1976 where he stayed for over nine years. While at CMF Manson gave his first notable interview on June 13, 1981 to Tom SnyderTom SnyderThomas James "Tom" Snyder was an American television personality, news anchor and radio personality best known for his late night talk shows The Tomorrow Show, on the NBC television network in the 1970s and 1980s, and The Late Late Show, on the CBS Television Network in the 1990s...
for NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's The Tomorrow ShowTomorrow (TV series)Tomorrow was an American late-night television talk show hosted by Tom Snyder...
. In September 1984, "following a dispute about... Hare KrishnaInternational Society for Krishna ConsciousnessThe International Society for Krishna Consciousness , known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava religious organization. It was founded in 1966 in New York City by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada...
religious chanting," a fellow inmate "doused [Manson] with paint thinner and set [him] afire," causing "second-and third-degree burns on the head, face and hands." Manson was transferred to San Quentin State PrisonSan Quentin State PrisonSan Quentin State Prison is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men in unincorporated San Quentin, Marin County, California, United States. Opened in July 1852, it is the oldest prison in the state. California's only death row for male inmates, the largest...
in July 1985. - Theodore StreleskiTheodore StreleskiTheodore Streleski was a graduate student in mathematics at Stanford University who murdered his former faculty advisor, Professor Karel de Leeuw, with a small sledge hammer on August 18, 1978...
was released unconditionally from CMF in September 1985 after 7 years and 20 days there. - Amara Vadillo, aka Sylvia Boots, a pre-operative male-to-female transsexual, was admitted to Vacaville's medical facility on August 30, 2004. Having lost an appeal on her murder conviction in 2007, Vadillo is serving her sentence of 45 years to life for the murder of fellow male-to-female transsexual Laura (aka Crystal) Banuelos on August 18, 2002, outside a nightclub in West Hollywood, CA.