Alabama To Release Infirm Inmates
Next month Alabama will start releasing sick or dying prison inmates, a move that state prison officials say immediately will start saving taxpayers millions of dollars.
Each sick or dying prisoner costs the state $60,000 to $65,000 in medical costs, and about 125 state inmates will be eligible for the furloughs that start on Sept. 1 said Prison Commissioner Richard Allen. There are about 25,000 inmates in Alabama prisons, and prisoners eligible for the program are 55 or older and have life-threatening illnesses — none convicted of capital crimes and most sex crimes will be eligible, Allen said.
But victims rights advocates say the program is so broad it will lead to dangerous criminals getting back on the streets and doesn’t save any money because it only transfers the costs from one government agency to another.
But there is a definite trend in this direction.
A [recent] review found 37 states have some program allowing for the early release of dying or infirm prisoners, according to state Department of Corrections policies … North Carolina, Wyoming and Alabama have implemented similar programs since March, and Michigan and Montana added programs in 2007 …
Gov. Bob Riley remains committed to making sure victims are included in the furlough process, said press secretary Tara Hutchison. The bill required that victims and the local district attorneys be notified, and it guarantees victims a right to file a protest. “This is a very limited program that has broad bipartisan support and includes important safeguards and conditions,” Riley said. “The prison system can set further conditions and can bring inmates back into the system if their conditions change.”
Citizens don’t like medical furloughs because they don’t understand the humanitarian benefits, said McCuan of the National Institute of Corrections. There’s little danger that sick or terminally ill inmates will continue a criminal lifestyle, he said.
There is a lot more information at the Montgomery Advertiser.