There is no question that the prison system in the United States of America is far from perfect. But beyond issues of funding, overcrowding and violence, there is another significant issue: the cost of keeping the system in place. While there are many administrative costs involved, such as paying for staff, property, meals one of the most significant costs that is not always addressed is the cost of healthcare for prison inmates.
Despite the fact that the cost of healthcare for the rest of the population has been a subject of much debate, the issue of prisoner healthcare costs has barely made the news. This is odd, especially considering that prisoner healthcare costs affect everyone.
Although some progress has been made in containing the cost of healthcare for prison inmates across the nation, there is still much work to be done. Let’s look at what the major sources of costs are when it comes to prison healthcare and analyze potential strategies for reducing those costs.
How much are we spending on healthcare for prisoners?
The prison system is massive. According to the United States Bureau of Justice Statistics, there were about 2.3 million inmates in American prisons as of 2012. This equates to approximately 1 percent of the United States’ adult population. In addition, nearly 5 million American adults were on parole as of the same time. These numbers alone indicate that the prison system in the United States is one that is large and expensive, but those numbers only tell part of the story.
More staggering is the actual cost of healthcare for prisoners. It is not an exaggeration to say that spending has reached record levels. In fact, prison healthcare spending in America hit an all-time high of $8.2 billion in 2009. That figure is all the more startling when one considers that, at the time, the nation was feeling the worst of what would become known as the Great Recession. By 2011, the annual spending on prison healthcare had dropped to $7.7 billion, but that cost is still a significant one.
Where are costs headed?
Although the drop off from the record prison healthcare spending in 2009 is a positive sign, there are indications that continuing declines without action are unlikely. In fact, there are significant indications that costs are set to rise, in significant part due to the shifting demographics of the American prisoner population.
The graying of America is not confined to those roaming free; America’s prison population is skewing older as well. There was a nearly 250-percent increase in the amount of prisoners aged 55 years and older between the years of 1999 and 2013, compared to a less than 10 percent increase in the amount of prisoners who were less than 55 years old. As one might expect, older inmates face morehealth problems than younger inmates do, and as a result, the cost of care will increase to address those problems.
In addition, a higher incidence of prisoners with serious drug, alcohol and other substance abuse problems as well as mental disorders has added an additional burden to prison budgets and will likely continue to do so.
Can anything be done to curb costs?
Perhaps the most obvious cost-containment measure is simply reducing the amount of prisoners in the United States correctional system. Simple math dictates that fewer prisoners will result in reduced healthcare spending. Thus, considering altering policies such as mandatory sentences for nonviolent offenders or considering shorter sentences in combination with parole or other rehabilitative efforts may aid in reducing prison healthcare spending by reducing prisoner population.
In addition, seeking alternatives to expensive care such as virtual doctor visits and taking more steps to provide preventative care can help keep costs down. By cutting out costly in-person appearances by medical specialists and pursuing strategies to help ensure prisoners do not contract serious medical conditions in the first place can eliminate the need for costly treatment.
Obviously, eliminating excessive levels of prison healthcare spending is not something that will occur overnight. However, by assessing the main sources of problems driving costs up, intelligent choices can be made to help limit spending.
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