New Prison Healthcare Contract Won't Solve Budget Crisis

 I have written recently that Michigan is one of six states offering no form of good time for prisoners, and it is the only state to offer no time off sentences for any reason. This is, in part, because of a state-wide referendum that led to the unfortunate "Truth in Sentencing" law. While the title, Truth in Sentencing, sounds appealing to the general public, it has resulted in Michigan having the longest average sentence in the United States. 

Combined with Michigan's onerous mandatory minimum statutes, Truth in Sentencing ensures that people who commit crimes in Michigan will spend more time in prison than in any other state in the Union. For some of the public, that's justice, despite scientific evidence that longer sentences do not make communities safer. 

Another critical consequence of Michigan's over-incarceration mindset is that Michigan now also holds the distinction as the state with the oldest prison population in the country. Despite having reduced its prison population in recent years, Michigan's prison budget continues to grow. As most people know, healthcare is one of the largest expenses for anyone, and this is true for the Michigan Department of Corrections as well. 

Healthcare is expensive, but it is especially expensive the older one gets. As Michigan's prison population ages, its healthcare costs will continue to rise, and to rise at alarming rates. In an attempt to reduce the costs of healthcare, Michigan has recently changed its health care provider. 

Its new contract with Grand Prairie Healthcare Services aims to save the MDOC 20% on its healthcare costs. As prisoners well know, not much can be trimmed from the department's already bare bones medical care. Since the standard of care is already abysmally low, and denial of care is the norm, it's difficult to understand how a new contract will save any money, let alone 20%. As history demonstrated with the failed privatization experiment for food service, promised savings are rarely realized. 

One area the new company claims they can save the department money is in "medication practices." This wording is code for "denial of necessary medication." I personally have already experienced denial of much needed medication related to allergies. When the medical provider can claim a medication is "non-formulary" and, therefore, they don't need to provide it, a new contract promising to save money on medications does not provide much hope for those needing medication.

Since the department has recently lost over $200 million in judgments, some stemming from denial of or substandard medical care, it's astonishing to me that the department believes it will save any money, let alone 20%, with a new contract. If Michigan REALLY wants to save money on medical costs, it will enact legislation that releases elderly prisoners. Elderly, medically frail or infirm prisoners do not pose a serious risk to society. Keeping them in prison only emphasizes Michigan's determination to carry out retribution to its utmost degree. 

Justice is not served by holding medically frail and infirm prisoners simply because draconian sentencing practices demand they die in prison. Communities are paying on both ends. They suffer the consequences of crime, and then because of Michigan's severe sentencing schemes, they suffer by paying for pointlessly lengthy incarceration. Especially today, communities need funds for schools, road repair, replacing crumbling infrastructure and leaded piping, and investing in job creation. 

The people of Michigan demanded Truth in Sentencing by voting it in through a referendum. If the legislature won't act through a super-majority to overturn this well-intentioned but bad legislation, the people must overturn it themselves. It's time to overturn Truth in Sentencing and to bring Michigan into line with states who believe the science of incarceration. Failing to act will only continue to cost the state millions of unnecessary dollars, regardless of empty promises made through new contracts for services.