Pros and Cons of Prison Healthcare

There was an article posted in the opinion section of the Austin American Statesman on October 4^th titled “Texans Deserve Relief from Prison Health Care Costs”. The article discusses mainly a 61 year old man named Donald Carl Rush who was three times convicted for robbery charges and sentenced to 23 years in prison. Mr. Rush has become very ill with diseases such as diabetes, Hepatitis C and etc. over his last 13 years in jail and had recently requested a parole to a nursing home. Although Mr. Rush’s request was denied it is argued in the article that this was the wrong decision in this case and also in many others. The assumption is that if we would release sick inmates such as Mr. Rush into their requested nursing home parole then the tax payer’s money could go to more important things rather than keeping a very ill man somewhat healthy in prison.

Although I do believe that the author of this article is targeting an older audience in making them realize where their money is going, I think that a younger audience may want to listen up. When Mike Ward made the original report of Mr. Rush’s request and brought the whole topic to everyone’s attention he also went as far to give the audience some numbers, like the $1.9 million spent to keep only 10 of the most expensive inmates alive over this last year. He points out that this money could have been better spent and the inmates still kept healthy with the money that is there to provide healthcare for nursing home patients.

After reading this article a few times over I came to realize that I personally agree with the author, that those inmates that no longer pose a threat to society and are continually monitored by the police should be released to nursing home facilities that can carry them. If nothing else opening a nursing home possibly for the paroled inmates could be government funded with the money that they already use for this purpose, provide more jobs for those that need it and cut the tax payers money going to keep these inmates healthy in jail and lastly maybe even make a little more room for those that are incoming prisoners. I do feel like the author could use a little more credibility than that he works for a newspaper, and given a little more information on how everything is currently paid for to make his article more clear but otherwise a good read, and even better a good lesson.  

Check out the article at:

 Texans Deserve Relief From Prison Health Care Costs