<P> Compassionate release relies on good faith, requiring that the released inmates do not continue committing crimes after they have been released; while many of these criminals are in very poor health, some are not incapacitated, and their reintroduction into society puts them back into a setting where they would be free to commit crimes . A questionnaire study by Jennifer Boothby and Lorraine Overduin on attitudes towards compassionate release suggested that the general public have negative attitudes towards the compassionate release of prisoners . This suggests that the community's negative attitudes toward compassionately released prisoners could be an obstacle to those seeking an expansion of this type of resentencing, and that there is a negative attitude in communities over mingling with those convicted of crimes meriting time potentially up to life sentences . Another argument against compassionate release is fairness and concern over justice for time served; for those that were placed in prison justifiably, the question arises of how long they should be forced to serve for their crimes before they are allowed renewed access to their community for health and support, and state and federal laws generally stipulate guidelines that address minimum proportions of sentences that must be served prior to eligibility for compassionate release . </P> <P> The process of obtaining compassionate release on medical grounds has been criticized in multiple states for being highly subjective on a case - by - case basis, relying heavily on specific doctors' opinions and for not having sufficiently clear - cut guidelines as to what defines a patient as being eligible for compassionate release . This often results in calls for reform, fueled by statistics regarding the rate of compassionate release and the illnesses of the patients who do not receive it . </P> <P> A major roadblock to the implementation of compassionate release is its reliance on medical trial . Because the criteria for medically based petitions for compassionate release is, by necessity, dependent on medicine and doctors, individual medical professionals have an inordinate amount of power in determining each compassionate release case . Because of the high degree of variation among individual medical professionals, the high variation that is translated into each decision is a major issue in many of the current compassionate release systems . The inconsistency of current systems of compassionate release is a common flaw that hinders increased use of compassionate release . </P> <P> For prisoners suffering from terminal illnesses, alternative options include programs that distribute health materials and segregation of affected individuals and expanded hospice programs . Hospice programs within the prisons have been used, although this does not address the humanitarian aspect of allowing inmates to die with dignity among family and friends, and the issue of cost to the state still looms large . Specialized medical care in a prison setting is difficult to achieve and is a costly proposition . With the prison population aging and in poorer health than the general population, as previously mentioned, cost may become a prohibitive factor, increasing the attraction of compassionate release where possible . </P>

6. do you think prisoners should be let out on compassionate release why or why not