Mar. 28, 2010, Mansfield News Journal
BY JESSICA ALAIMO
CentralOhio.com
With county budgets trimmed to the bone, a major medical expense at the county jail could be an unexpected drain of county finances.
County jails are responsible for providing medical care for inmates. While some are able to pass the bill on to private insurance, and some end up releasing a sick inmate to avoid paying the bill, Ohio counties spent at least $38.3 million last year to treat prisoners, according to data collected by CentralOhio.com.
Totals have remained fairly steady the past few years, thanks to a change in state law, but the cost per inmate can vary greatly, from $339 in Paulding County to $4,455 in Franklin County.
Some of the disparities are due to differences in recordkeeping; not every county reported the cost of mental health care, for example. Counties also structure their medical care differently. Larger jails have nurses on staff and buy medicine in bulk. Smaller jails will get inmate medications at the local pharmacy and arrange for visits with a local physician.
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