Louisiana rewards prisoners with $5 for getting flu shot

[TexasTowelie]

The Louisiana Department of Corrections is giving a $5 prison-canteen credit to inmates who get the flu shot in its state facilities this year — an incentive that is rare, if not unprecedented.

“[G]iven the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical we go above and beyond to urge all inmates, who are otherwise able, to take the influenza vaccination during this flu season,” wrote Jimmy LeBlanc, the department’s secretary, in a letter to prison wardens that outlined the incentive program on Oct. 26.

Any inmate in a state facility who has gotten a flu shot since July will be eligible for the $5 credit. It cannot be garnished or swallowed up by an existing prison debt or canteen balance, LeBlanc wrote. At the canteen, prisoners can purchase a wide variety of goods — from candy and soda to toothpaste and stamps.

The prison system is prioritizing “high risk” inmates — those who are 65 and older, pregnant and living with chronic health conditions — for the flu vaccine before opening the program up to others, according to LeBlanc’s letter.

Read more: https://lailluminator.com/2020/11/12/louisiana-rewards-prisoners-with-5-for-getting-flu-shot/