GPS monitoring and offenders with special medical needs

Waco Tribune Herald Monday July 26, 2010
The sheriff’s office is anticipating a savings of more than $775,000 on spending for jail medical services this fiscal year, which ends in September.

The above news story demonstrates significant expense to the taxpayer for the small group of incarcerated people who have special medical needs. More than three quarters of a million dollars is a significant amount of money even when you are talking about a $116,000,000.00 annual budget.

We recently had a conversation with a magistrate who pondered about the use of house arrest for a defendant, charged with a non-violent crime, who needs dialysis three times a week. The defendant had other medical conditions and as a result, the cost to taxpayers to house this person was significant. More importantly, the magistrate explained that due to the defendants condition, significant liability was also involved. The magistrate further pondered about sentencing this person to house arrest. You see, the county/taxpayers are only liable for the medical needs of a person while in custody in the jail. While the average cost to taxpayers to house a person is around $45.50 a day, for a special needs medical patient, the cost can be hundreds of dollars a day.

The benefits of a person being on house arrest are also compounded when it is taken into account the offender could hold down a job and provide for the individual's family rather than sit in jail.