Teaching incarcerated individuals responsibility and being fair to Illinois taxpayers are key, according to Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford).
Questioning the outcome of HB 5104, which seeks to delete the $5 co-pay provision that the state Department of Corrections pays to prisoners who receive medical or dental services on a non-emergency basis, Syverson argued during the May 24 state Senate floor debate that if there is no co-pay, there is no lesson to be learned.
“It’s to help them realize that at some point, when they transition out of corrections, that they will have co-pays like all other working individuals and taxpayers have,” Syverson said of the current mandate for prisoners to pay $5 each time they recieve medical or dental services.
“Currently the law also says that... they get a stipend for work in prison, or their family gives them money for their account,” he added.
Syverson questioned why the co-pay is forgiven.
“What we have seen is that many of the incarcerated are making decisions and choosing between their healthcare and other basic necessities,” Sen. Elgie Sims (D-Chicago), the bill's sponsor, said.
Without the possibility of a raise and the pressures put on families who are depositing money into prison accounts, the bill would allow for proper healthcare regardless.
“That is one of the reasons why we teach them how to reintegrate into society,” Simms said.
Syverson pointed out that taxpayers are paying thousands of dollars annually to house the inmates.
“They have to make those same difficult choices, and yet here we are turning around and saying to the taxpayers, ‘You have to make those tough choices, but... those who are in prison, even if they have the resources, don’t have to make that tough choice,'” Syverson said.
Again, he added it is not just about the $5.
“It teaches them responsibility,” Syverson said. “I think we are going in the wrong direction.”
Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) noted the exact cost of housing an inmate is $37,000 per year and then asked if the bill applies to any prisoner regardless of their personal bank accounts. After Simms answered "yes," Tracy reflected on her personal experience with the matter as an employee of the state attorney general’s office.
“One of my obligations was to try and recoup incarceration expenses,” Tracy said.
And she did.
“It was amazing to find out how may inmates actually do have quite a bit of personal finances,” Tracy said, adding that it is most often seen with white-collar criminals. Tracy said she once handled the account of a stockbroker who was managing several portfolios while incarcerated.
“It shouldn’t apply to all inmates," Tracy said. "I think you should have the ability to pay standard in there. To provide it free is just not right to Illinois taxpayers.”
Despite Syverson and Tracy’s argument, HB 5104 passed 30-20 and will now move to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s desk.
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