Nearly a million incarcerated people nationwide rely on rural hospitals for healthcare. But following massive cuts to Medicaid by Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, rural hospitals, largely dependent on federal subsidies, will be forced to scale back their services or close. This will diminish the access to life-saving healthcare for rural communities, including the incarcerated people in those communities. 

We’re joined by Emily Widra of the Prison Policy Initiative for the first half of the show to talk about the cascading effects of the disinvestment in rural healthcare. She describes how people in prisons and jails use rural hospitals for emergency care, x-rays and diagnostics, and more. There were existing problems with the healthcare delivery systems in prisons and jails, including delays and the difficulties of transporting people for care. Widra says that too many people die in prison from preventable conditions and that the ways prisons are used to manage increasingly poor, sick, and neglected people ultimately punishes them.

In the second-half of the show, we’re joined by local organizer and advocate, James Morgan of Madison Organizing in Strength, Equity, and Solidarity (MOSES). He talks about his experiences inside and outside carceral institutions and the work he does to educate people about the flaws in the criminal justice system. Morgan describes how the language we use to talk about incarceration has changed over time, from “rehabilitation” to “reform.” He calls the criminal justice system a “system of retribution.” MOSES also discusses how MOSES is advocating for accountability and transparency in the new Dane County Human Services budget. 

James Morgan is employed as the Community Organizer for MOSES. James represents MOSES on a local, state and national level attending conferences, training and Organizer events. He is responsible for assisting with General Membership Meetings, Fundraising, Recruitment of Congregations and Individuals, Membership Trainings-Education, and Media Messaging.

Emily Widra is a Senior Research Analyst at the Prison Policy Initiative and is the organization’s expert on health and safety issues behind bars. She is the author of several briefings on Medicare and Medicaid for people involved in the criminal legal system.

Featured image of a hospital corridor via Rawpixel.

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