WHAT TYPE OF MEDICAL CARE DO PRISONERS RECEIVE?
Medical and dental care within a prison is very limited. Medical personnel work in sparse conditions, usually for lower pay than their counterparts on the outside. Prescription medications are almost always in short supply.
"GO TO MEDICAL"
Each prison usually has a clinic or infirmary to care for sick inmates. However, most prisons do not allow a prisoner who is sick to "go to medical" unless he/she sends in a written request and is sent a "lay-in" slip giving permission.
Receiving a lay-in may take 3-5 days. In the meantime, the sick prisoner just has to find a way to get by.
MEDICATION
Prisoners are often not allowed to have possession of the medication they have been prescribed.
When it is time for their medication, the prisoner has to go stand in line at the "pill window". This is where the medicine is dispensed one dose at a time. A correctional officer stands at the window to make sure prisoners take their medicine before walking away.
SERIOUS CONDITIONS
Prison systems typically have contracts with regional hospitals to provide medical care for seriously ill prisoners.
Prisoners are transported to the hospital by bus, which can be a grueling journey in itself. Extra security officers are required to transport prisoners to the medical care facility, as well as to oversee them during their stay.
FINANCIAL STRAIN
Some states charge prisoners for their medical care and their medications. Although these fees are lower than an uninsured person might pay in the free world, the payments are a hardship for the majority of prisoners and their families.
Many prisoners do not seek medical attention when they need it simply because they can't afford it or it takes too long and is too much hassle.
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