Man Sends Self to Jail to Get Medical Care

1. Don't take drugs. After all, they aren't going to waste 'em on one guy after going through the trouble to get their hands on them.
2. &3:Separate yourself from the others; also, jail does not equal prison. Jail is kinda a low tier type place to be when you compare it to other stuff. He isn't going to be placed with people who gunned down fifty tweens from an opposing gang. Further, you can actually be kept completely apart from other fellows.

Dirty Communists may be the better pot hole.

@ Anonym- Jail's not prison, but conditions between jails vary.

@TMA: The number one reason not to go to jail is you have a very high probability of dying in there.

Ironically enough, the inside of a jail is pretty much anarchy. You coop up a bunch of robbers, rapists, and murderers, and they will find a way to kill you if they want. And there's all sorts of reasons why they might want.

The other problem with jail is that it makes your chances of getting a job after prison virtually non-existent.

Also, I disagree with Deux. Its entirely possible to have state-funded healthcare and not become the next soviet union. For example, look at Europe in general and the UK in specific.

@Thorn: asking for sane non-conservative rhetoric answers from Deux is unlikely to succeed.

>The number one reason not to go to jail is you have a very high probability of dying in there.

Ahahahahahahohwow.jpg

So... the idea behind jail is that it's the kinda sorta death penalty?

Wow, our legal system is even more screwed up than I thought, if you're right about that.

Public healthcare rocks. Shame you folks in America have a crappy system.

Not exactly. Jail isn't as bad as prison, and some are worse than others. A jail in a small city isn't going to be the same as a supermax prison, for example.

edited 21st Jun '11 11:38:14 PM by DrunkGirlfriend

@TMA: Well, it's very dangerous relative to being a private citizen, at least.

Most people who go to jail don't get killed, but I would guess there are very few that get out without either giving or taking a punch.

It's not that "if you go to prison, you will die." It's "If you go to prison, your chances of dying or being injured go up way more than if you hadn't gone at all." Partially for the reasons I mentioned two posts ago. There's no guarantee that you'll get made someone's bitch, but your chances of getting made someone's bitch are higher enough that you probably don't want to risk it for the healthcare.

There are too many variables to say for sure, I think. At the very least, there is still the option to remain in isolation for a while, which is guaranteed to, you know, isolate you from any of those common dangers.

Anyone here been to jail?

edited 21st Jun '11 11:45:48 PM by TheMightyAnonym

That option is not necessarily guaranteed. It depends on the individual jail, what you did to get there, your behavior since you got there, what's already happened to you since you got there, what's likely to happen to you while you're there...

While you may not die, you are most likely going to be hurt by the inmates.

This is what happens when we have a jail system that treats humans like rats, and not any attempt of rehabilitation.

edited 21st Jun '11 11:58:37 PM by Thorn14

"At the very least, there is still the option to remain in isolation for a while, which is guaranteed to, you know, isolate you from any of those common dangers."

It's not an option, it's a punishment. You don't get to elect whether you'd like some time alone.

It's not just that, Thorn— There's also the overcrowding problem meaning that even if they were rehabilitory in nature, we probably wouldn't be able to help everyone. Although, if they were rehabilitory, we might not have so many repeat offenders...

That and maybe we shouldn't be putting pot smokers in prison.

a bit of a thread hop, but I think the thing that major tom is missing is that the reason the lines are longer is BECAUSE PEOPLE CAN GODDAMN AFFORD TO GET BETTER.

The lines in American hospitals are sort of shortish for inpatient and outpatient procedures because they're so comparatively expensive that WE USE THEM AS A LAST RESORT.

that's right, 21st century medicine is a last resort. There's something wrong with that.

I don't know, I just hope more people pay attention to this story and remember what more needs to be done to improve health care.

Problem is there are still too many people in power who believe letting sick people die is less morally repugnant than implementing UHC because it means taxes must be raised. And That's Terrible.

I will never understand how they think.

edited 22nd Jun '11 1:34:36 AM by Exploder

You know I don't blame the guy. His choices were suffering and or death or jail and care. Lots of folks are just one bad medical day from death or ruin.

Yeah, what is with you and taxes? Even if is like an extra 50 cents, everyone starts shooting each other. When we raise taxes, we grumble, groan a bit, do debates, and then we get used to it.

Also, healthcare does not lead to the USSR. I don't think people read what I said when the entire OECD (exc. America), the Commonwealth, India and China have UHC. The only 'communist' there is China, and they're some stupid type of communism.

So, nobody sees their doctor except in a worst-case scenario? I see my doctor all the time! It's good for them because they get commision, and good for me because... its free and its a doctor.

Did I mention we have a cashier in most hospitals? That is the only place in the NHS where money is exchanged. Not from the patient to the hospital. The other way. The hospital gives you money to cover the costs of a bus journey or taxi ride to the hospital.

In 'Soviet' Britain, hospital give you money!

edited 22nd Jun '11 3:15:34 AM by Inhopelessguy

Yes, and at the same time look at Sweden and Norway, huge amounts of political freedoms, good(ish) economies and a great deal of very VERY high taxes.

I know that such a system may not work in the US, but some ideas can be taken and used from it.

Also, last time I checked, Swedish average lifespan is higher than American. I'm sure that says something about their healthcare.

Yeah. No-one would do that.

That reminds me: "The Labour Government [of the UK] tried to give Swedish-style public services for American-style taxes. Now, the Conservative government are going to give American-style public services, for Swedish-style taxes"

Also, productivity. More productivity. Healthier workers = healthier profits

edited 22nd Jun '11 3:28:51 AM by Inhopelessguy

To me, American politics are a strange mash-up of principled politics (for national matters) and realpolitik (for international matters).