NJ Changes Course On Inmate Health Care
After 13 years, the New Jersey DOC has decided to cancel its $85m per year contract with Correctional Medical services.
The state Treasury Department notified Correctional Medical Services on Friday that it planned to replace it with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, the state’s medical school … UMDNJ already provides mental health services for state inmates. CMS, whose contract expired last night, had sought a 4.73 percent increase to cover costs associated with caring for the 27,600 inmates in state prisons and an additional 14,000 inmates being held in county facilities until a state cell is available. “The state has decided that it is in its best interest to contract with the University of Medicine and Dentistry to provide all of the inmate health care services,” wrote Alice Small, acting director of Treasury’s Division of Purchase and Property.
The move ends a contentious 11-year relationship with CMS that was launched during then-Gov. Christie Whitman’s push to privatize government services. It comes months after the state auditor and the state inspector general issued separate reports critical of the company.
More opinion from both sides in the Star-Ledger article.