Prison Inmates In Georgia May Be Required to Pay Co-Pay for Rx Drugs

by Patricia Green, published on Dec. 11, 2006 by MedsAbroad.com

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia), the Georgia Department of Corrections is going to ask Georgia legislators to approve a plan to implement co-pays for inmate prescription drugs. Inmates would pay these co-pays out of their "debit accounts" - monies which come from friends or relatives to help ease inmates' lives by providing snacks, stationery, tobacco, etc. The co-pay amounts would be "nominal" according to the Assistant Commissioner, Brian Owens.

Inmates who do not have the money to pay, simply would not be required to do so. They'd get their prescriptions for free.

There is nothing fair about this idea. We're not for giving away goods to criminals, but these medications are part of "humane" treatment so they must be made available. With the advent of co-pays, inmates would be penalized for using prescribed treatments because their only discretionary funds would be used to pay for them. This, we think, might lead to inmates who don't ask for the prescriptions they need - a dangerous and unhealthful outcome. To compound the injustice here, the money that inmates spend comes from lawful people outside the prison system - family and friends who are trying to ease their loved ones' time behind bars. Is it right to expect the families and friends of inmates to pay the co-pays for the inmates' pharmaceuticals? Because that's how it works out.

We think Georgia needs to finance inmates' prescription drug requirements out of tax dollars, and look for innovative financing for the Department of Corrections elsewhere.

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