Backers say the job prevents first-rate medical assistance.
A Senate bill that would rid state prisons of nurses trained as guards is set to trigger a contentious public debate over whether the hybrid position hinders or helps health care for more than 160,000 inmates locked up in California. They contend MTAs aren't able to deliver top-notch medical assistance when they're also responsible for prison security. Lined up on the other side are MTAs and the powerful prison-guard union that represents them. Many inmates complain that MTAs don't believe their complaints of illness and refuse them access to doctors, Kuehl said. And where those roles are confused, I think safety would always have to trump.