MA Inmates Can Trade Body Parts For Time Off, New Bill Proposes

BOSTON, MA — A bill recently introduced in the state legislature would set up a program that would allow prisoners to exchange bone marrow and organs for a shorter prison sentence. Inmates participating in the program would receive a reduction in their sentence of 60 to 365 days, according to the text of the proposed law.

A five-member Bone Marrow and Organ Donation Committee would be responsible for implementing the program. The committee would also determine eligibility and the length of each participant's sentence reduction.

Prisoners and the Department of Correction would receive no monetary payments in connection with the program.

State Rep. Carlos González (D-Hampden) is one of the legislators behind the law and said he was inspired in part by a close friend who is awaiting a kidney transplant and requires dialysis three to four times a week, according to Boston.com.

Nearly 5,000 state residents are on an organ transplant waiting list. Proponents argue that potential donors could help patients who need life-saving care, the BBC reported.

However, critics say that the move perpetuates stereotypes about prisoners as "subhuman."

Kevin Ring, president of the non-profit organization Families Against Mandatory Minimums, blasted the law. He said that it furthers the idea "that we have this class of sub-humans whose body parts [we] will harvest because they're not like us or because they're so desperate for freedom that they'd be willing to do this," Insider reported.

There are also concerns about the bill's legality. The National Organ Transplant Act bars the exchange of a donation for "valuable consideration." A similar bill in South Carolina was ultimately dropped due to potential legal problems, according to Boston.com.