State Rep. Beth Griffin’s plan to reduce the amount of public tax dollars spent on prison health care while continuing to protect public safety was approved today by the Michigan House with overwhelming bipartisan support.

Griffin, of Mattawan, said chronically ill and aging prisoners often have health care costs several times higher than the average inmate. It’s a growing concern in Michigan, where nearly one in four inmates is 50 or older with the average age continuing to rise.

“Michigan taxpayers are already on the hook for roughly $300 million to fund prison health care. Those costs are only going to increase as our prison population continues to age,” Griffin said. “We will save public tax dollars by reforming the way we care for medically frail inmates.”

Griffin said the plan would permit some inmates with severe and chronic physical or mental disabilities to complete their sentences at a medical facility rather than inside a prison, if approved by a parole board. The plan does not allow early release of inmates.

The goal would be to qualify inmates transferred to health care facilities for Medicaid, which would translate to a net savings for taxpayers.

An initial projection from the Department of Corrections estimates roughly 20 to 40 prisoners could potentially be eligible for the program. The number could grow over time as the prison population ages.

Only inmates classified by professionals as not posing a risk to public safety would be allowed to relocate to medical facilities. Prosecutors and victims could appeal decisions, and inmates convicted of first-degree murder, criminal sexual conduct in the first degree, or any other crime resulting in a life sentence would automatically be ineligible for the program – meaning they stay behind bars.

“No one who is a threat to public safety will be eligible. We are talking about extremely ill inmates, many of whom are nearing the end of their lives,” Griffin said. “They would live out the rest of their lives – or the remainder of their sentences – in a specialized medical care facility.”

House Bills 4129-32 now move to the Senate for consideration.

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