Lives in The United States of America (1980–present)June 23
In the US, if you were diagnosed with an expensive disease and you didn’t have health insurance, to get treatment, could you just commit a small crime and get put in prison for a few months, where you get free healthcare?
!!! This is not an endorsement of committing a crime, but a consideration of this thought experiment!!
Everyone is making valid points: A “small crime” would not result in enough time to actually get you taken care of.
and Depending on the severity of your condition, the time it may take you from committing the crime to settling into prison and establishing medical care (6 months to a year) your condition may have deteriorated in an irreparable way.
But, All of this said, I like the thought experiment.
Prison health care is not better than private health care in actual hospitals…
But they are required to tend to your life-threatening conditions… dialysis, cancer, hepatitis, AIDS, to name a few.
So… say you are desperate… you’re experiencing medical bankruptcy… the threat of homelessness. It’s understandable that prison might appear as a viable alternative.
!!! This is not an endorsement of committing a crime, but a consideration of this thought experiment!!
As mentioned below, prisons can be dangerous, and there is the REAL THREAT of you finding yourself in a situation where you get injured and you may find yourself getting additional time sentenced if you are involved in any prison nonsense (fighting, brewing hooch, gambling/bartering, etc).
But… If you need this medical care, the legal needle you need to thread is: commit a severe enough crime to ensure adequate prison time and a swift sentence… YET the crime should be of a nature that lands you a minimum-security prison sentence with relatively nonviolent criminals.
Some of the first choices that come to mind are…
Blatantly “dealing” a large quantity of drugs outside of the police station.
Robbing a bank with your hand under your shirt claiming it is a gun. Important: do not use any kind of weapon… even a knife. That could double your sentence.
Taking an expensive vehicle for a test drive and getting involved in a brief yet high-speed chase— very important, do not do this with a passenger you must be by yourself in the vehicle.
Stealing a felony quantity of cash from your employer… or a family member even.
These are just a couple of crimes that will get you a swift sentence of “soft time”— as opposed to “hard time”. All of these should get you 5–10 years… enough time for significant medical therapy.
It’s not a great solution. But, if you’d rather have the state/fed foot your medical bills… it’s an option.
AGAIN. IF YOU’RE EXPERIENCING THIS KIND OF MEDICAL BANKRUPTCY OR STRAIN… THERE ARE OTHER RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO YOU. YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE TO MAKE THIS CHOICE.
This thought experiment is mostly an incitement of the American medical system.
People should not be put in a situation where crime seems like the only viable option for obtaining LIFE-SAVING MEDICAL CARE [ie: Breaking Bad].