California's prison health system

In his World Report (Sept 3, p 796),1 Laurie Udesky states that the Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD) was "resisting evaluation of doctors". This assertion is wrong. Our doctors' union contract with the state of California requires the state to conduct a written assessment of every doctor in state service every year. The assessments are to be done by management physicians. The UAPD labour agreement also provides that there be a strong medical staff at each correctional medical facility and that they have active peer-review programmes.