Medical Parole: Due to the 2008 economic recession, states are looking for new ways to cut budgets to avoid looming deficits. Aging prison populations has led some states to parole inmates early to divert prison healthcare costs to the federal Medicaid program. While medical parole eligibility varies by state, it commonly allows prisoners guilty of any offense (except capital felony) to be released anytime during their sentence due to medical reasons.
Protect Mental Health Funding. The Medicaid program pays for over half of publicly financed mental health services [1]. Services like Wraparound Milwaukee a program ”that is designed to provide comprehensive, individualized and cost effective care to children with complex mental health and emotional needs” [2] “Days before the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, a boy in Milwaukee confessed to one of his teachers that he had been troubled by voices and delusions. The voices were insisting that he do harm, that he shoot people.”[3] Aware of the mental health program, the boy’s teacher was able to bypass the juvenile justice system and get the child the care he needed including a personal “mental-health bodyguard” providing 24/7 assistance. Attack the root cause. Please insist your federal medicaid dollars be used to prevent crime, not subsidize its consequences.
Protect Victim’s Rights. Felons eligible for medical parole enjoy a stay at private nursing homes. In Washington State, felons can receive a significant improvement in quality of life by staying at a nursing facility overlooking the pristine Chelan Lake. A convicted rapist in California served only 3 years of his 157 year sentence before being medically paroled. Please consider the victims.
Protect America. Releasing prisoners early for medical parole poses serious safety risks. Without the security of prison walls and correctional officers, medical parolees have easier access to communication. While a parolee might not present a physical threat, they can still influence members of society to carry out crimes. Please make safety a priority.
[1] http://www.allhealth.org/sourcebookcontent.asp?CHID=124
[2] http://county.milwaukee.gov/WraparoundMilwaukee.htm
[3] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/19/sandy-hook-mental-health-program_n_2334017.html
