Corrections now charging inmates for overdose treatment [View all]

A new policy at the Arizona Department of Corrections requires inmates to pay for their medical treatment if they’re hospitalized for substance abuse.

The Appeal, an online news outlet that covers criminal justice issues, reported on Friday that the agency enacted the policy on March 15. The policy states that inmates who require transport to a hospital for substance abuse must pay restitution for all expenses, as well as the cost of staff overtime.

Arizona inmates typically earn between 10 and 80 cents per hour, according to The Appeal. The department already takes 10 percent of deposits to inmate trust accounts for medical treatment costs. In addition, they must pay a $4 copay for health care visits, and must cover the costs of urinalysis tests that come back positive for drugs.

DOC spokesman Bill Lamoreaux told The Appeal that the policy is designed to hold prisoners accountable for their actions, saying “obtaining contraband, illegal drugs while incarcerated requires a series of deliberate and extremely poor choices.”

Read more: https://www.azmirror.com/blog/corrections-now-charging-inmates-for-overdose-treatment/