This Aug. 17, 2011 file photo shows a correctional officer in one of the housing units at Pelican Bay State Prison near Crescent City, California., cutting billions in spending to address California’s staggering and unpredictable budget deficit. While his original budget spared many key public health initiatives from the chopping block, Newsom’s revised budget cuts $52.5 million from last year’s local and state public health funding, and an additional $300 million in ongoing spending reductions.
respiratory conditions, depression, anxiety, unintentional injury, excess winter mortality, and skin irritation, including associations with worse self-reported health, more cardiovascular disease, an increase in hospitalization, higher use of medical services, and higher rates of mortality. One study found that losing one’s jobat 5.3%. Meanwhile, Gavin Newsom is proposing a 28% reduction in labor and workforce development funding, including cutting $10 million from EMT training programs.
and that disproportionately impact communities of color and other marginalized people. In addition to the extensive research clearly stating the health harms of investing in incarceration, there are economic benefits from the divestment of incarceration. The State’s own Legislative Analyst’s Office has concluded that closing five prisons in California would result in $1.5 billion in annual savings alone.