MORAL AND RIGHTEOUS?

One of the founding fathers of our country was quoted as saying that our system of government was created for a moral and righteous people, and if the American people become no longer moral and righteous our system is totally inadequate. Whether we can still consider our country moral and righteous is a matter for another debate, for right now I would like to shed some light on the cost to the taxpayers of Oklahoma to incarcerate state prisoners.

Our state prisons are full and the Department of Corrections has to rely upon county jails to house the overflow of prisoners. While the counties are paid to house the prisoners, that fee could be very small because of a recent Oklahoma Supreme Court decision. The high court has ruled that the counties are liable for the medical expenses of the inmates even if their medical condition is due to a preexisting condition before their arrest.

The decision involved a $2.2 million dispute over medical treatment for prisoners in the Oklahoma County jail. Ultimately it will be the taxpayers of Oklahoma County that will have to pay the bill for the medical treatment of the inmates. With the high cost of healthcare this decision could cause many problems with smaller and poorer counties. According to one report, 60 percent of the inmates booked into the Oklahoma County jail are under the influence of drugs and have never sought regular medical care. People living that lifestyle usually are in need of some type of medical attention.

On a state level, there needs to be action taken to protect the counties from financial ruin. If nothing is done county residents could be paying for the prisoner's care from local property taxes. I read about a bill that will be filed in the upcoming session of the state legislature that could help the state. State Rep. Brian Renegar plans to file legislation this year that will levy a fee on prisoners imported to Oklahoma's private prisons from other states. Under Renegar's legislation, the fee would be $2 per inmate per day. While this plan could generate $3.6 million annually for the state, it does little to protect the plight of the counties over the medical care.