Healthcare for inmates...

[NightNurseRN13]

Hey all, for my Nur 212 class our clinical groups need to pick a controversial topic and present it in class. Our instructors do not want our entire group to agree and really want a debate between ourselves with the pro's and con's to both sides.

Our group picked Healthcare for Inmates, we are going to divide it up between general population inmates and death row inmates.

I just want to hear a variety of opinions as I could argue both sides of it.

Do you think taxpayers money should continue to pay for healthcare for inmates?

Some things I've already thought about....

- innocent inmates wrongly accused

- our vow we made as nurses to do no harm

-being humane and what makes America that much different than other 3rd world countries

-why are we paying to keep inmates healthy when "we" are just going to kill them

-preventive healthcare such as better nutrition for inmates

-do school aged children in public schools eating healthier than our inamtes

-should we not allow inmates to smoke considering we as taxpayers have to pay more insurance if we are smokers, this could also be a preventive thing

etc.... really looking forward to hearing some input from all of you!

[libby11]

Can of worms.

Let's see... Inmates are people and nurses see patients as just that--people. Nurses don't care about races, sex, age, religion, gender, partner preference, profession, mean, nice, bad, or good. We see a whole person and we do what we can to treat their response to treatment--no matter what. As nurses they deserve the best care available (as funding allows).

It doesn't matter what school children are eating--that is false logic in regards to what the debate is actually about.

Preventative healthcare is always a goal--for ANY population, because we treat them all the same--as best as we possibly can with the resources we have.

"should we not allow inmates to smoke considering we as taxpayers have to pay more insurance if we are smokers, this could also be a preventive thing" NO because we don't refuse care to other smokers who are receiving taxpayer dollars assistance.

Those are a few thoughts I had off the bat. Good luck on your presentation.

[NightNurseRN13]

Thank you very much Libby!

[ericaej]

I disagree about the assumption that school children eating better than inmates is false logic. How is it false logic? Tax payers foot the bill for inmates' maintenance but our free citizens sometimes have less opportunities than those imprisoned. If they have had a trial and were found guilty, we then have to trust the justice system. That doesn't mean there are not people falsely imprisoned but if I were debating this topic, that would be my argument in regards to "innocent inmates wrongly accused." What sets us apart is that we are civilized and treat our deviant members with humanity. Perhaps then it is not the fact that prisoners receive free healthcare that is the problem but that free citizens don't.

[NightNurseRN13]

Very good point Ericaej, I never ever thought about it like that!

[DawnJ]

There is an interesting related idea here too: healthcare is not a basic right provided to free citizens, but we are obligated to provide it for those who have acted against society? Is that punishing the innocent? However, a free citizen is able to access an array of services, public & private, but an inmate is restricted.

What about organ transplant? Do taxpayers foot the bill for that expensive procedure to save the life of an inmate because they are sicker than say, a 22 year old college student? With private insurance?