Once imprisoned, a civilian no longer has the access to the luxuries of the free world. They are stripped of secular identity, and are processed into incarceration with a number, basic clothing, toiletries, and a bed. Due to rising health care costs among many correctional facilities, new policies have been allowed to charge inmates for medical services. Although the service fee aims to decrease abuse of the healthcare services within prison, implementing charges for inmate medical services negatively affect prisoners by: limiting inmate finances for basic needs, deterring inmates from seeking treatment, and inviting another avenue for segregation within prison walls.
The majority of …show more content…
Due to the new service fee assessed for medical care, prisoners are less likely to seek treatment and harbor illness that may be transmitted to other inmates. Michelle Andrews, a health care columnist, describes the likelihood of an outbreak of communicable disease within the prison as a result of inmate charges for medical care in Prisons and jails forcing inmates to cover some medical care costs (2015). Generally, when diagnosing an acute illnesses, the inmate is assessed for contagion and treated accordingly, however lack of funding may discourage a visit to the doctor for an examination. Furthermore, an inmate with the flu, strep throat, or a stomach virus, may spread illness to other inmates. Inmates who are able to afford treatment also face re-exposure once placed back in the general population, adding to the likelihood of an epidemic. On the other hand, an inmate with a chronic condition such as diabetes, hypertension, or bipolar disorder, may put off routine visits due to affordability. Lack of maintaining therapy for chronic conditions can cause worsening symptoms and possibly lead to fatalities within the prison. The dynamic within the prison would ultimately evolve to reflect those who are infected and chronically ill, and those who are seemingly