# Does Crime Pay? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [February 10, 2006, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-crime-pay/343927 "2006-02-10T22:34:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![beatlesnumber9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47774/32.png) [@beatlesnumber9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beatlesnumber9)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-crime-pay/343927/1 "2006-02-10T22:34:53Z")
One thing you can’t deny, prisoners have access to dental and health care and millions of honest working people do not. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2006, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-crime-pay/343927/2 "2006-02-11T15:07:28Z")
Welcome to the SDMB, beatlesnumber9. Number 9. Number 9. This forum is for comments on Cecil’s published columns. Is this question in regard to one of them? I can’t find one that matches. Perhaps you were inspired by the Staff Report [How are criminals prevented from profiting from their crimes?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mcriminalprofit.html) Staff Reports are not written by Cecil Adams and there is another forum for comments on those. But I won’t move this thread over there because I’m not sure you were commenting on that report. I’ll leave this thread here for now unless I get clarification from you. If you were looking for a debate, I can move this thread to the Great Debates forum. If you’re looking for economic studies of the question, I can move it to the General Questions forum. If you’re looking for opinions of other Dopers, I can move it to the In My Humble Opinion forum. If you’re looking to complain about it, I can move it to the BBQ Pit forum. bibliophage moderator CCC ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2006, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-crime-pay/343927/3 "2006-02-12T16:56:35Z")
> [@beatlesnumber9](#): > > One thing you can’t deny, prisoners have access to dental and health care and millions of honest working people do not. That’s true. The incarcerated felon is the only individual who has a constitutional right to health care provided by the government. And as a physician practicing in a maximum security prison, I’m working hard to see that their medical _needs_ are met. Which means saying **no** to a lot of their _wants_. Which makes them unhappy and then they tend to sue. Far more often than patients in the real world. They’re challenging people to take care of, certainly. But keep in mind that over 95% of them will be returning to the “outside” in the future, and if their medical needs aren’t met, they will be an even bigger burden to society when they leave prison blind from uncontrolled diabetes, on dialysis due to uncontrolled hypertension, etc. etc. ---
**Author:** ![beatlesnumber9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47774/32.png) [@beatlesnumber9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beatlesnumber9)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-crime-pay/343927/4 "2006-02-16T17:57:53Z")
I’m having a hard time figuring out this forum. Sorry. Took me forever to figure out hot to reply, plus I wasn’t subscribed. Yes mod, I meant this in response to How are criminals prevented from profiting from their crimes? I’d have sworn that’s where I was. I even am an admin of a semi large forum myself, so boy is my face red. Of course Qad, I wasn’t saying prisoners shouldn’t have health care, the point really was the people that don’t. This country can’t seem to get anything right. Our local jails here are filled with homeless people in the winter to the point that criminals have to wait long periods to go to jail. Prisons are not equipped to deal with the mentally ill, but that’s where we put them. But my point about Cecil’s article about crime paying, I’m only pointing out that in a way it does. Free rent and food, and free dental and medical (with free prescriptions) is one way it pays. Imagine a working person who can’t get medical help unless they commit a crime. It’s absurd that honest working people don’t have health care and prisoners do. I don’t say that to take away from the prisoners but to shine a light on the working poor. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-crime-pay/343927/5 "2006-02-17T14:27:31Z")
Since this is meant as a comment on the Staff Report by guest contributer gfactor, I’ll move this thread over to the Comments on Staff Reports forum. bibliophage moderator CCC ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-crime-pay/343927/6 "2006-02-17T19:17:01Z")
Sorry you were having trouble, **beatlesnumber9**. It can be a little daunting at first, but stick with it, I think you’ll find discussions and conversations here are worth the little bit of daunt … and the little bit of money after your guest month. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-crime-pay/343927/7 "2006-02-17T20:47:24Z")
Just to clarify, **beatles** , this is the right place for your comments. There’s the original article, which is all by itself elsewhere on the website, and then there’s the message board here, where we comment on it. **bibliophage** just added his reply to make it clear which article you were referring to: In a few days, that article won’t be on the front page any more, but people might still be reading this thread.