The state of California will further restrict the right of inmates on ventilators to receive medical parole after changing its rules to close the so-called Golden Door program, which was established to treat seriously ill inmates.
It is now illegal for those inmates to receive a medical parole after Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill on Wednesday to fix a problematic 2012 statute.
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“This law sends a clear message: We will not sacrifice public safety for the sake of compassionate parole for those with severe conditions,” the governor said in a statement.
“This is the right thing to do.”
The state legislature originally passed a measure to end the program but the governor vetoed it earlier this year.
Under the Golden Door program, inmates deemed at higher risk of reoffending were to be granted medical parole if they passed an assessment, even if they continued to be housed in solitary confinement.
“The Golden Door program was never meant to be permanent, nor has it ever been part of the standard parole criteria,” Brown’s office said in a statement.
Under the new rules, those considered to be at high risk of reoffending would be moved to special housing facilities and kept in solitary confinement.
Gov Brown’s Republican opponent in the last election, John Cox, had slammed the law as an unnecessary cash grab.
This week, Brown vetoed a measure called the “Compassionate Use Act”, which would have expanded marijuana’s use to combat opioid addiction.
Brown argued in the veto message that it would also have put an undue burden on local jurisdictions dealing with ongoing drug abuse.
“Right now, California does not have any ballot measure that decriminalizes marijuana and treats it as a medical treatment,” he said in a statement.
“I’m worried that passage of this bill will overturn current state law and open the door to full legalization of marijuana, which could be contrary to California voters’ wishes and perhaps even violate federal law.”