The report found low recidivism rates among people who were older and had served lengthy sentences. Those patterns contrasted with people serving shorter prison sentences for nonviolent crimes, which showed higher rates of recidivism, the majority of which were for misdemeanors.

“The argument is that he should not have been taken to the jail in the first place. He should have gotten the medical care that he deserved while he was in the emergency room,” said Dan Bolton of Rancho Mirage’s Walter Clark Legal Group, the family’s lawyer.

Norco in Riverside County for years has been lobbying to close the California Rehabilitation Center, arguing the city can find a better use for the site. It was an art deco hotel before it was a state prison.

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. In a historic policy change, California is moving to pay incarcerated firefighters the federal minimum wage during active fires.  The wage increase, funded through the new state budget, follows years of advocacy to improve pay and working conditions