No one looks at the price tag of a criminal. I came across an editorial in the Austin American Statesmen that stated how much it cost to incarcerate a person. The author believes that due to either age or the harsh lifestyle that most inmates live, Texas is spending way too much on heathcare. Texas Tech and the University of Texas helps provide healthcare systems but they both argue that the cost is too high. To help lessen the load, the Texas prison board made a $46 million agreement with Huntsville Memorial Hospital to help aid some of the inmates. Texas spends on avarage $400 million dollors a year to care for inmates. The author stated that a third of these cost are coming from older inmates above the age of 60. He acknowledges that these statistics are true but he also believes that "No rational person would argue that poor lifestyle choices, illness or age should be a ticket out of prison for dangerous offenders, but neither would a rational person ignore the responsibilities the state assumes when it incarcerates someone." I believe that this is true because every person should be entittled to good heath and atleast 3 meals a day nomatter what crime they may have committed. It is inhuman to make someone starve or suffer from an illness because "they deserve it"? We might pay taxes to take care of these inmates, but I would rather pay a few dollars then to have a serial killer living next to me. I do hope that this action will succeed and be recognized as a both logical and wise decision.
