Speaking as someone who did a lot of work in the prison system for quite a while, I can say that the medical care one receives in prison is pretty abysmal. I mean, let's face it - the best physicians and medical care providers are not exactly lining up to work in the prisons. And prisoners do not receive treatment for anything unless it is serious - I have seen prisoners go for months with painful toothaches and not get any care whatever. Ditto things like backaches, terrible headaches, or other situations that can be very painful and/or lead to more serious problems if left unchecked/untreated...but are not 'sickness' in the sense of a high fever or immediately life threatening contagious illness.
For this guy to rob a bank in order to receive that level of health care, he'd have to be pretty desperate.
Now granted, most of my experience is in the state prison system and since this guy robbed a bank, he'd fall into the federal prison system...but I can't imagine that would be much better. In fact, I'd imagine it would be worse.
That must be one desperate dude.
But is indicative of the direction of this country. One more step in our march toward the 1% of the population having everything...and the rest of us having nothing. Give us 30 years with our existing mindset of greed trumps all, and we will be a 3rd world country, at the rate we are going. A country where going to prison might be viewed by some as better than living on the street.
