Cost of Inmate Health Care on the Rise for N.C. Prisons

RALEIGH, N.C. — State officials estimate that taxpayers will spend nearly $193 million this year on medical care for inmates, due to the rising costs of health care.


The Department of Corrections budgeted $156 million this year for prison health care; $6 million was already been spent on the treatment of 10 inmates.


In order to cover the shortage, the state House voted to set up an emergency fund in the amount of $15 million.


The state’s prison population is projected to rise by about 1,000 inmates per year. Inmates are spending more time in the prison system and the population is getting older and requiring more medical care.