A program that gives $50 to inmates who get vaccinated seems to be working.
Inmates at Hawaiʻi correctional facilities and Saguaro Correctional Center in Arizona are eligible for the one-time award through the end of 2024. The payment is deposited into the inmate’s spendable trust account.
According to the state Department of Public Safety, there were about 2,500 fully vaccinated inmates before the program went into effect in October.
By Dec. 15, there were more than 3,900 fully vaccinated inmates — an increase of nearly 1,400.
PSD received more than $600,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds for the program and has so far spent $144,000.
