A set of handcuffs is pictured.
Sacramento, California – California has quietly shut down its court-ordered medical parole program, opting instead to send severely ill prisoners back to state prisons or release them early through compassionate release. The abrupt move, which bypassed legislative approval, is drawing sharp criticism from prisoner advocates, attorneys, and even the original author of the state’s medical parole law.
Attorneys for incarcerated people say the decision puts a medically vulnerable population at risk by placing them in institutions ill-equipped to handle severe physical and cognitive impairments. “These are not people in full command of their surroundings or memories,” said Sara Norman, an attorney involved in a long-standing federal class-action lawsuit regarding prison health care. “They’re helpless.”
Authorities designed medical parole for prisoners with permanent and debilitating conditions—such as dementia, traumatic brain injuries, or paralysis—who no longer posed a threat to society. Since 2014, authorities transferred nearly 300 prisoners to community care facilities under the program. But with the state ending its contract with Golden Legacy Care Center in Los Angeles County at the end of 2024, California Correctional Health Care Services began relocating parolees back to prison or pushing for compassionate release instead.
The decision comes as California’s prison system grapples with an aging population and soaring healthcare costs. Prisoners 55 and older are more than twice as likely to experience cognitive decline as their non-incarcerated peers, and they cost at least twice as much to incarcerate. The average annual cost per medical parolee ranged from $250,000 to $300,000.
State officials say new memory care units in prisons, such as those at Stockton, Vacaville, and Chowchilla facilities, can help meet these patients’ needs. But critics argue these in-prison alternatives fall far short of providing humane care. “They’re nowhere near enough, and they’re still prisons,” Norman said.
Former state senator Mark Leno, who authored the medical parole law, called the state’s decision “perfectly inhumane” and condemned officials for acting without legislative input. “Is it just cruel punishment and retribution, or is this thoughtful execution of the law?” he asked.
As of early 2025, authorities returned 20 medical to prison, 36 were recommended for compassionate release, and two died before authorities could decide how to handle their cases. Advocates worry California is closing the door on one of its few humane options for terminally ill prisoners.
