Critics say the Department of Correction is too reluctant to approve the release of seriously ill prisoners as the law intended:
A group of state lawmakers on Monday visited a health care unit inside a state-run prison after receiving multiple complaints of understaffing, unsanitary conditions and inadequate medical treatment.
More than 15% of Massachusetts prisoners are older than 55, according to the Prison Policy Initiative, a research and advocacy group focused on criminal justice reform. The average age of a prisoner at Norfolk is 48; the oldest person incarcerated there is 88, according to statistics from the state's Department of Correction . About 1,100 men are housed at MCI-Norfolk.
"Qualified medical professionals employed by our medical service provider, Wellpath, approach all clinical decisions with compassion and are guided by their expertise," a DOC spokesman said in an emailed statement. "During the COVID era, you would think that the number of people released through the law would have increased. But, in fact, very few were released ..."Prisoners Legal Services of Massachusetts, an advocacy group, said an 82-year-old prisoner held at CSU and seeking medical parole died Tuesday, just days after he was transferred to an outside hospital.
Susan Neuber, a registered nurse, testified in September in support of legislation aimed at removing some of the obstacles to granting medical parole. Among other provisions, the bill would permit a health care proxy to help with the process and would allow for post-release placement in a facility overseen by the Department of Public Health.
Supporters of the bill argue that granting medical parole would be less expensive than providing health care in correctional settings, which often includes the cost of transporting prisoners to hospitals where they are guarded by correction officers.
"The Legislature specifically intended for people — even murderers — to be let out on compassionate release because it's the human thing to do ...""When you visit him, he's in a wheelchair and his legs and hands don't really work," said Nam-Krane."He definitely is permanently incapacitated such that he's not a danger to anybody, but we are still getting a lot of resistance from the DOC.
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