Thread by @ConnorASheets

THREAD: Some Alabama sheriffs make inmates in their county jails choose between taking on medical debt & getting necessary medical treatment and procedures.

Here’s how they do it:
propublica.org/article/how-so…

Where you’re arrested can determine who will pay for your medical bills while behind bars in Alabama. If that sounds unusual, it’s because it is.
In Baldwin County, you may have a $15 co-pay for medical care.
In Mobile County, you could be on the hook for hundreds of dollars 2/13

In counties like Mobile…

1. Sheriffs refuse to pay for some necessary medical care for sick inmates by outside providers.

2. From behind bars, inmates are personally billed for that care.

3. The bills often go to collections while they remain incarcerated. 3/13

To help explain, let’s look at Brandon DeLaFosse’s story.

He was booked into the Mobile County Metro Jail last November after he underwent a surgery. 4/13

Hundreds of dollars of bills were sent to Brandon’s mother’s house for necessary follow-up care he received as a county inmate.

Several of those bills have since gone to collections and he remains incarcerated and unable to pay them. 5/13

Brandon’s mother says jail staff required her to pay hundreds of dollars to his doctor before the jail was willing to book future appointments.

Brandon’s official jailhouse medical records confirm her account. 6/13
al.com/news/2019/12/h…

In February, Brandon was sentenced to three years in state prison. But the bills keep arriving at his mother's house, including hundreds of dollars worth of new bills for care he's received since he's been a state prisoner. 7/13

The Alabama Dept. of Corrections says Brandon received those bills in error. But they remain unpaid and are likely headed to collections if they aren't paid soon. 8/13

Legal experts and civil rights advocates say this practice likes violates both state law and the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment and excessive fines. 9/13

Like Brandon, Charles Tillman was also personally billed for medical care he received while incarcerated

His bills from his time as a Washington County Jail inmate add up to more than $1,800. 10/13

Allowing inmates to be billed for health care they received while incarcerated is "not standard procedure," according to Washington County Sheriff Richard Stringer. 11/13

But hundreds of dollars of Tillman's bills have gone to collections, wrecking his credit and driving him into medical debt. The sheriff was unable to explain Tillman’s situation. 12/13

Have you or someone you know been billed for medical care you received while incarcerated? If so, I'd love to hear your story.

My DMs are open or you can email me directly at [e-mail] — Thank you for reading. 13/13 END THREAD
propublica.org/article/how-so…