For California Doctors, It Pays to Be in Prison

When Dr. Jeffrey Wang closed his medical practice in Visalia, Calif., in 2007 to take a job as a physician treating inmates at Corcoran State Prison, he wondered if he’d made a mistake. The prison, about 175 miles northwest of Los Angeles, is best known as the place where murderer Charles Manson is locked up. “The first few months I regretted it,” says Wang, a 54-year-old internist. “But the pay was much higher and the benefits were much better.”

As a prison doc, Wang made $382,519 in 2010, including overtime and extra-duty compensation. He was one of almost 100 doctors, dentists, and other medical practitioners in the state who made at least $300,000 last year working behind bars, according to state records. Prison physicians in California are the best-paid in the nation, far outpacing their counterparts in other large states including New York, Florida, and Texas. One California prison psychiatrist earned $566,029 last year, including overtime and extra-duty pay.