II 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1907 

To amend title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 

1968 to understand and comprehensively address the inmate oral health 

problems associated with methamphetamine use, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 31, 2007 

Mr. BAUCUS (for himself and Mr. COLEMAN) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To amend title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 

Streets Act of 1968 to understand and comprehensively 

address the inmate oral health problems associated with 

methamphetamine use, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Meth Mouth Correc5 tional Costs and Reentry Support Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

7 The table of contents for this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title. 

Sec. 2. Table of contents. 

Sec. 3. Findings; purpose; definitions. 


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Sec. 4. Inclusion of oral health and dental care inmate and probationer statistics. 

Sec. 5. Study of methamphetamine-related oral health costs in jails and prisons. 

Sec. 6. Interim assistance for correctional dental programs. 

Sec. 7. Grants for dental care offender reentry projects. 

1 SEC. 3. FINDINGS; PURPOSE; DEFINITIONS. 

2 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds as follows: 

3 (1) One of the unexpected results of the meth4 amphetamine epidemic has been prisoners’ need for 

5 costly dental care. By some accounts, more than 30 

6 percent of prison inmates suffer from meth mouth 

7 and about 40 percent of correctional dental spending 

8 goes toward repairing or removing teeth ravaged by 

9 methamphetamine use. 

10 (2) Every year some 600,000 inmates are re11 leased from Federal and State prisons and return to 

12 their communities and families. 

13 (3) Released prisoners suffer disproportionately 

14 from oral diseases and other health-related prob15 lems, which can hinder their ability to secure hous16 ing, employment, and otherwise successfully inte17 grate into the community. 

18 (4) Ex-offenders who are healthy have greater 

19 success in reintegrating into the community and 

20 avoiding incarceration. 

21 (5) There have been few published studies (and 

22 virtually no routine data collections) that adequately 


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1 characterize the oral health of inmates and the pro2 vision of dental care in correctional facilities. In fact, 

3 the absence of peer-reviewed literature has resulted 

4 in the perpetual underfunding and understaffing of 

5 correctional dental care programs. 

6 (b) PURPOSE.—The purposes of this Act are to— 

7 (1) investigate and report on the oral health of 

8 inmates of correctional facilities and on the provision 

9 of dental care in such facilities; 

10 (2) temporarily sustain dental programs in cor11 rectional facilities that have been suddenly and dis12 proportionately taxed by the prevalence and severity 

13 of inmate meth mouth; 

14 (3) ensure that oral health and dental care are 

15 accounted for in the Department of Justice’s pris16 oner reentry initiatives; and 

17 (4) underscore the many ways that oral health 

18 and dental care contribute to the general health of 

19 individuals, their communities, and to the country as 

20 a whole. 

21 (c) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this Act: 

22 (1) CORRECTIONAL FACILITY; DETENTION FA23 CILITY.—The terms ‘‘correctional facility’’ and ‘‘de24 tention facility’’ mean any place for the confinement 


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1 or rehabilitation of offenders or individuals charged 

2 with or convicted of criminal offenses. 

3 (2) INMATE.—The term ‘‘inmate’’ means any 

4 person who is incarcerated or detained in any correc5 tional facility and who is accused of, convicted of, 

6 sentenced for, or adjudicated delinquent for, viola7 tions of criminal law or the terms and conditions of 

8 parole, probation, pretrial release, or a diversionary 

9 program. 

10 (3) METH MOUTH.—The term ‘‘meth mouth’’ 

11 means a distinct and often severe pattern of oral 

12 decay that is commonly associated with meth13 amphetamine use. 

14 (4) OFFENDER REENTRY.—The term ‘‘offender 

15 reentry’’ means the process of returning individuals 

16 to society after a period of incarceration in a prison, 

17 jail, or other detention facility. 

18 SEC. 4. INCLUSION OF ORAL HEALTH AND DENTAL CARE 

19 INMATE AND PROBATIONER STATISTICS. 

20 Part C of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and 

21 Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3711 et seq.) is 

22 amended by adding at the end the following new section: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 305. JUSTICE STATISTICS TO INCLUDE DATA ON PRO2 VISION OF DENTAL CARE. 

3 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In collecting, compiling, ana4 lyzing, publishing, and disseminating justice statistics re5 lating to the operation of the criminal justice system under 

6 this part, the Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics 

7 shall include and take into account data characterizing the 

8 oral health of inmates of correctional facilities and the 

9 provision of dental care in correctional facilities. Such data 

10 shall address at least the following information: 

11 ‘‘(1) The prevalence in such facilities of inmate 

12 dental caries (tooth decay), periodontal diseases, and 

13 other conditions affecting the teeth, gums, and 

14 mouth or affecting the proper function thereof. 

15 ‘‘(2) The types of therapies used in such facili16 ties to diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent the 

17 onset of the conditions described in paragraph (1). 

18 ‘‘(3) The presentable oral condition of inmates 

19 at the time of release of the inmates from such fa20 cilities (as would likely be observed by an individual 

21 who is not an oral health professional). 

22 ‘‘(4) The size and disposition of inmate dental 

23 programs and program budgets, including the num24 ber of dentists and allied oral health professionals on 

25 staff, under contract, or otherwise used to furnish 

26 inmate dental care. 


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1 ‘‘(b) USE OF DATA.—The Director may request and 

2 use such information, data, and reports from any Federal, 

3 State, local, or private entity, as may be required to carry 

4 out subsection (a). Such information, data, and reports 

5 may be used only with prior written consent from the Fed6 eral, State, local, or private entity involved.’’. 

7 SEC. 5. STUDY OF METHAMPHETAMINE-RELATED ORAL 

8 HEALTH COSTS IN JAILS AND PRISONS. 

9 (a) STUDY.—In carrying out section 305 of the Om10 nibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 

11 U.S.C. 3737 et seq.), as added by section 4, the Attorney 

12 General, acting through the Director of the Bureau of 

13 Justice Statistics, shall conduct a study to determine the 

14 extent to which methamphetamine use affects the demand 

15 for (and provision of) oral health care in correctional fa16 cilities. 

17 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

18 of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Bureau 

19 of Justice Statistics shall publish a report detailing the 

20 results of the study under subsection (a). Such report shall 

21 include the following information: 

22 (1) The prevalence and severity of inmate oral 

23 health problems believed to be associated with meth24 amphetamine use. 


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1 (2) The criteria most commonly used to deter2 mine whether an inmate’s oral health problems are 

3 associated with methamphetamine use. 

4 (3) The therapies most commonly used to treat 

5 inmate meth mouth. 

6 (4) The clinical prognosis for inmates who re7 ceived care for meth mouth. 

8 (5) The financial impact of meth mouth on 

9 Federal, State, and local corrections budgets. 

10 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

11 are authorized to be appropriated $100,000 to carry out 

12 this section for each of the fiscal years 2009 through 

13 2011. Amounts authorized for appropriation under this 

14 subsection are in addition to any other amounts author15 ized for appropriation for such purpose. 

16 SEC. 6. INTERIM ASSISTANCE FOR CORRECTIONAL DENTAL 

17 PROGRAMS. 

18 Part A of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and 

19 Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3711 et seq.) is 

20 amended by adding at the end the following new section: 

21 ‘‘SEC. 110. INTERIM ASSISTANCE GRANTS FOR CORREC22 TIONAL DENTAL PROGRAMS. 

23 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Assistant Attorney General 

24 shall make grants to States and local, territorial, and trib25 al units of government, for the purpose of developing, enVerDate Aug 31 2005 04:41 Aug 01, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1907.IS S1907

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1 hancing, or otherwise sustaining dental programs that 

2 provide for the oral health of jail and prison inmates. 

3 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.— 

4 ‘‘(1) APPLICATION.—To be eligible for grants 

5 under this section, an entity shall prepare and sub6 mit an application at such time, in such manner, 

7 and containing such information as the Assistant 

8 Attorney General may require. 

9 ‘‘(2) PREFERENCE.—In awarding grants under 

10 this section, the Assistant Attorney General shall 

11 give preference to applicants that demonstrate a 

12 compelling need for financial assistance due to the 

13 prevalence and severity of inmate meth mouth. 

14 ‘‘(c) USE OF FUNDS.—Amounts awarded under this 

15 section may be used— 

16 ‘‘(1) to recruit, hire, or otherwise secure the 

17 services of dentists, allied dental personnel, and 

18 other oral health professionals; 

19 ‘‘(2) to rent, purchase, or otherwise secure den20 tal instruments, equipment, and supplies; 

21 ‘‘(3) to survey, document, and report on— 

22 ‘‘(A) the prevalence and severity of inmate 

23 oral health problems believed to be associated 

24 with methamphetamine use; 


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1 ‘‘(B) the criteria most commonly used to 

2 determine whether an inmate’s oral health 

3 problems are associated with methamphetamine 

4 use; 

5 ‘‘(C) the therapies most commonly used to 

6 treat inmates with meth mouth; 

7 ‘‘(D) the prognosis for inmates who re8 ceived care for meth mouth; and 

9 ‘‘(E) the financial impact of meth mouth 

10 on State and local corrections budgets; and 

11 ‘‘(4) to support other activities deemed appro12 priate by the Assistant Attorney General. 

13 ‘‘(d) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—The Federal share 

14 of a grant received under this section may not exceed 50 

15 percent of the total costs of the activity funded by such 

16 grant. 

17 ‘‘(e) COORDINATION OF ACTIVITIES.—The Assistant 

18 Attorney General may enter into contracts or agreements 

19 with other Federal agencies, including interagency agree20 ments to delegate authority for the execution of grants 

21 and for such other activities as may be necessary to carry 

22 out this section. 

23 ‘‘(f) METH MOUTH DEFINED.—For purposes of this 

24 section, the term ‘meth mouth’ means a distinct and often 


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1 severe pattern of oral decay that is commonly associated 

2 with methamphetamine use. 

3 ‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

4 are authorized to be appropriated $1,000,000 to carry out 

5 this section for each of the fiscal years 2009 through 

6 2011. Amounts authorized for appropriation under this 

7 subsection are in addition to any other amounts author8 ized for appropriation for such purpose.’’. 

9 SEC. 7. GRANTS FOR DENTAL CARE OFFENDER REENTRY 

10 PROJECTS. 

11 Part FF of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and 

12 Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3797w et seq.) is 

13 amended by adding at the end the following new section: 

14 ‘‘SEC. 2978. GRANTS FOR DENTAL CARE OFFENDER RE15 ENTRY PROJECTS. 

16 ‘‘(a) GRANT AUTHORIZATION.—The Attorney Gen17 eral shall make grants to State, local, territorial, and trib18 al units of government to identify, eliminate, and report 

19 on the degree to which poor oral health undermines or 

20 otherwise impedes an inmate’s successful transition to a 

21 stable, productive, and law-abiding life following his or her 

22 release from jail or prison. 

23 ‘‘(b) REENTRY DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS PER24 MITTED.—In carrying out subsection (a), the Attorney 

25 General is authorized to make grants to entities described 


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1 in such subsection to establish adult and juvenile offender 

2 reentry demonstration projects for the purpose of— 

3 ‘‘(1) developing and implementing dental treat4 ment programs at correctional and detention facili5 ties in which inmates are incarcerated for a period 

6 of time to permit or require emergency dental care; 

7 ‘‘(2) developing, implementing, and evaluating 

8 guidelines to ascertain the degree to which an in9 mate’s presentable oral condition at the time of his 

10 or her release facilitates the transition of such in11 mate to a stable, productive, and law-abiding life; 

12 ‘‘(3) promoting good oral hygiene among in13 mates and encouraging inmates to obtain regular 

14 dental check-ups after their release; 

15 ‘‘(4) assessing the presentable oral condition of 

16 inmates at the time of their release (as would likely 

17 be noticed by an individual who is not an oral health 

18 professional); 

19 ‘‘(5) monitoring an inmate’s compliance with 

20 post-release treatment instructions and oral hygiene 

21 protocols; and 

22 ‘‘(6) supporting other activities deemed appro23 priate by the Attorney General. 

24 ‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

25 are authorized to be appropriated $100,000 to carry out 


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1 this section for each of the fiscal years 2009 through 

2 2011.’’. 

Æ 


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