Readers React: Mental healthcare in prison

Your editorial regarding the humane care of death row inmates in California makes sense. As long as we have a death sentence for the sick people who kill other people, this problem will remain. (“Some sanity on California’s death row,” Editorial, June 18)

The tragedy of our state prison system is that many prisoners who are not facing the death penalty slide through the cracks. As a civilized society, do we not owe them the same care and treatment that we provide those on death row?

It is an oxymoron to discuss humane treatment for death row inmates while, at the same time, there are thousands sitting in prisons around California waiting in isolation. What are they waiting for? They are twiddling their thumbs while our broken system is making up its mind to evaluate, study and distribute them to appropriate confinement.

Yes, these people are in prison for punishment, but the system should not preclude the possibility that they can become contributing citizens.

Prison should not be a waste of time; it should enable growth and change.

Agnes G. Herman, San Marcos