A bill is moving through the House that would allow the state to release an inmate 120 days prior to his or her expected death, instead of the current 60-day window. Department of Corrections Secretary Gary Westcott supports the legislation. Westcott says inmates up for medical early release are either terminally ill, brain dead or incapacitated.
“I will tell you that they are vetted. They do not come up to us with the ‘everybody should’ spiel. We’ve got to know that they’re at the end of their life,” Westcott said.
Louisiana’s two-month window for medical early release is the shortest in the country. Wescott says by giving the state an additional two months, it allows the department more time to adequately determine the appropriate care for an inmate very close to death.
The bill’s author is state representative Jerome Zeringue. The Houma Republican calls himself a tough on crime legislator, but compassion can be shown to an inmate’s family in this situation.
“The important thing to recognize is that the incarcerated also have families who are affected by the incarceration and may be considered victims in their own right. And this is called to offer some compassion and maybe some solace to those family members as well,” Zeringue said.
Westcott says three inmates have received medical parole this year. Ten were released last year. The secretary says if an inmate is released under medical parole, the inmate can be returned to state custody if his or her health improves.
“If they get better; if all of a sudden, they have a miracle, because there is some; I returned one on December 16th. We returned them back to custody,” Westcott noted.
The House Criminal Justice Committee unanimously approved the bill, and the measure heads to the House floor. If approved, the measure could save the state money; because once an inmate is released because they are terminally ill, Medicaid picks up the cost of their health care.
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