Petition: Abolish Medical Co-Pays for People in Prison

The carceral system in the US is incredibly racist, classist, and many would argue, ineffective. The US prison system has a 5-year recidivism rate of 70%. This is in stark contrast with that of countries like Norway and Denmark, which emphasize rehabilitation rather than punishment and have recidivism rates of around 20% and 27%. One of the many ways that the US makes it incredibly difficult for incarcerated individuals to reintegrate into society is financial exploitation.

Incarcerated people that work while in prison are only compensated with around $0.14 – $1.41 per hour for their labor. Furthermore, until 2019, all U.S. states made incarcerated individuals pay to see a doctor or dentist. Even if the co-pays are low, this is a huge financial burden for the many low-income individuals who are only making a few cents an hour. Not wanting to use a week’s pay for a medical visit, incarcerated individuals may avoid seeking medical care, which can make their own ailments worse and cause illness to spread to other people in the prison.

Source: AJ+/YouTube

In 2019, California became the first step to abolish all fees for medical care in prisons and a few other states followed its lead. During COVID, many states chose to waive medical co-pays for prisoners, or at least ones exhibiting COVID symptoms; however, some states maintained the free.

It’s time to abolish these fees for good. The companies that own prisons and healthcare companies have enough money to not charge incarcerated individuals. This exploitative system of forcing non-free, barely-paid, already ill-treated inmates to pay for badly-needed medical care must end throughout the whole country. Sign this petition to demand that all states abolish medical co-pays for doctor and dental visits in prison!

To continue speaking up, sign these other petitions as well:

• Free Mental Healthcare in the US
• Stop Suing People for Medical Debt During the Pandemic
• Ban the Use of Attack Dogs on Prisoners

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