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DETROIT—In May, the United Auto Workers filed a lawsuit claiming that the Michigan Department of Corrections' practice of privatizing mental health services for inmates will hurt the prisoners' health. The UAW charged that the company awarded the Michigan contract, Missouri-based Correctional Medical Services Inc. (CMS), is a danger to prisoners. The lawsuit cites a prison death in North Carolina, which a grand jury there argued was the result of negligence by CMS. The North Carolina prison where the incident took place has maintained its contract with CMS despite the death.
John Truscott, spokesman for Gov. John Engler, said "Once the Legislature or a judge realizes this is about preserving the jobs of a few doctors rather than dealing with adequate care of prisoners, I think [the lawsuit] would be dismissed." Since 1998, CMS has had a $37-million-per-year contract with the Michigan Department of Corrections. Its new contract will expand its services, which include off-site hospitalization and specialty care, to include primary mental health care for prisoners.
