A man convicted of murder will undergo facial reconstruction surgery at the expense of Wisconsin taxpayers.
In an e-mail to The Badger Herald, Department of Corrections spokesperson John Dipko said the DOC approved corrective surgery for inmate Daryl Strenke because it was deemed “medically necessary.”
“The Department of Corrections has a legal responsibility to deliver adequate health care to inmates under its custody,” Dipko said.
As federal and state confidentiality rules restrict what the DOC may disclose about a particular inmate’s medical care, Dipko could not comment on costs of procedures.
Strenke has been convicted of second-degree intentional homicide and a Class B felony, according to Wisconsin court documents.
Currently, Strenke is serving a 30-year sentence for the murder of his girlfriend in 2002. A failed suicide attempt immediately following the murder left Strenke’s face mangled.
In a letter to the DOC Tuesday, Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, expressed his disapproval of the DOC’s decision.
“I am respectfully requesting DOC to reconsider and re-evalute the services it provides to inmates with tax dollars,” Davis said.
Davis referenced the Strenke case as an example of a costly “cosmetic surgery” that wastes tax revenue and requested the DOC reverse their decision. Davis also asked for a list detailing all the cases of “cosmetic or medically non-life threatening surgeries” that have been financed by tax money over the past five years.
“I believe it is important that tax dollars spent on inmate’s health care — especially those convicted of murder — is done for life-saving purposes only,” Davis said.
According to Dipko, all surgeries approved by the DOC are essential to the protection of the inmate’s life and health.
Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, a member of the Committee on Judiciary, Corrections, Insurance, Campaign Finance Reform and Housing, was also outraged by the use of taxpayer dollars on inmate health care.
“It is very frustrating for the taxpayers of the state of Wisconsin, that they must provide heath care for prisoners that they could not afford themselves,” Grothman said.
Dipko said denying Strenke treatment could be considered “deliberate indifference,” a violation of the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which bans cruel and unusual punishment.
“Potential surgical procedures undergo an individualized, thorough review by Department and external medical experts,” Dipko said. “Surgery for cosmetic purposes is never approved.”
Several Democrats could not be reached for comment.