A 5 page research paper/argumentative essay that addresses this question. The writer first outlines the cost of these programs, as well as the need for health and education programs, and then discusses how using prison labor is a growing trend in the US, arguing that if prisoners were paid what their services are worth, they could pay for the services that they receive. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Name of Research Paper File: D0_khprfree.rtf
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
while they are behind bars, many inmates receive free educational services and free healthcare. These two factors are beneficial and seem more like rewards for lawbreaking than punishment. It is
clear from statistics that the educational and healthcare needs of prisoners are severe. Meeting these needs is therefore extremely costly. It is typical for inmates to have a
high rate for infectious disease. * Rates for HIV are 8-10 times higher * Rates for hepatitis C are 9-10 times higher and * Rates for TB are 4-17
times higher (Zack, Flanigan and Decarlo, 2000). While many inmates arrive with these diseases, many contract them while incarcerated as diseases such as TB are easily transmitted in close
quarters (Zack, Flanigan and Decarlo, 2000). Testing for TB is prevalent in prisons, with 92 percent of the prison systems and 51 percent of the jail systems conducting these tests(Zack,
Flanigan and Decarlo, 2000). However, testing for STD (sexually transmitted diseases) or hepatitis is spotty. Furthermore, prisons and jail are reluctant to offer HIV testing as, if a
prisoner tests positive, the prisoner must have access to costly medications (Zack, Flanigan and Decarlo, 2000). While there are laws against sexual conduct in prison, sexual activities nevertheless take place,
therefore STDs and HIV infection are spread easily as the vast majority of correctional facilities prohibit condom possession (Zack, Flanigan and Decarlo, 2000). In recent years, news articles have
criticized several prison systems across the country in regards to the quality of inmate healthcare. Many prisons have been shown to ignore prisoners with life-threatening illnesses, leaving them to die
without receiving medical attention (Howell, 2004). Other states have addressed this problem. For example, in Texas, medical students attend to the healthcare needs of the prisoner population. However, this, again,