Based upon more than 20 years of intensive evaluation of health care systems in jails and prisons, the National Commission on Correctional Heath Care recognizes that lack of access to health care is a serious problem in detention and correctional institutions. Charging inmates for health services is a subject that recently has become a prominent issue in the delivery of correctional health services. Clearly, there are reasons one might argue either for or against the imposition of charges for health care services provided to inmates, although there is limited research on the efficacy of such programs. The cost needs to be controlled legally without affecting needed care.
Sick call can be and is abused by some inmates.
This abuse of sick call places a strain on available resources, making it more difficult to provide adequate care for inmates who really need the attention. Inmates who can spend money on a candy bar or a bottle of shampoo should be able to pay for medical care with the same funds it is a matter of priorities. It will do away with frivolous requests for medical attention. It cuts down on security's problems in transporting inmates to and from sick call by reducing utilization. It instills a sense of fiscal responsibility and forces the inmate to make mature choices on how to spend his or her money.