American prisons' cruel and unusual health care

Forcing inmates to work for weeks just to see a doctor is unconscionable

Do not get sick in prison.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Americans seem to have forgotten a simple fact: The vast majority of people who end up in prison will someday be released. If we were cognizant of this fact, we would take more note of the horrific brutality of American prisons — from legally innocent people being locked up for inability to pay, to medical neglect, to widespread use of torture.

Yet another aspect of prisoner abuse comes via the Prison Policy Initiative, which is releasing a new study by Wendy Sawyer today on medical co-pays for prisoners. The findings are appalling — especially when coupled with another recent PPI report on prisoner wages, also by Sawyer. While the Supreme Court has held that prisons and jails must provide medical treatment to inmates, most states don't do it for free; they can and do charge co-pays before inmates can actually receive care. And Sawyer has found that in many states, prisoners must work for weeks straight simply to be able to see the doctor. It's unconscionable — and enables more crime.

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Ryan Cooper

Ryan Cooper is a national correspondent at TheWeek.com. His work has appeared in the Washington Monthly, The New Republic, and the Washington Post.