The Maine Department of Corrections (Maine DOC) is seeking a vendor to purchase a “state-of-the-art” laser tattoo removal machine, a purchase the agency argues will help inmates successfully reintegrate into society.
According to a Request for Proposals (RFP) posted by the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services (DAFS) on April 29, the Maine DOC is soliciting bids from vendors “to procure “to procure a state-of-the-art laser tattoo removal equipment that meets stringent requirements for safety, efficacy, and versatility, designed to facilitate the rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates within a correctional facility setting.”
“This equipment will serve a critical role in removing tattoos related to gang affiliations, criminal activities, or other markings that may hinder an incarcerated resident’s ability to reintegrate into society successfully,” Maine DOC wrote in the RFP.
“By addressing a wide range of skin types, tattoo colors, and body areas, the machine will provide comprehensive support for physical and psychological transformation,” the agency wrote.
The laser tattoo removal machine, once purchased, would be operated by WellPath, the for-profit independent contractor that provides medical health services for inmates in all Maine DOC facilities.
Maine DOC listed several minimum specifications for the “state-of-the-art” tattoo removal machine they are looking to buy, including effectiveness across all skin types, adaptability for treatment across a range of body parts and “sensitive areas,” and efficacy in removing dense and multilayered ink patterns.
High-end laser tattoo removal machines can cost tens of thousands of dollars, and in the case of the most advanced machines, upwards of $75,000.
Typically, laser tattoo removal requires multiple sessions spaced several weeks apart, and individual sessions can cost costumers hundreds of dollars.
Tattoos are photographed during the fingerprinting/booking process. This is done to help identify a crime suspect if there are future arrest. How does this make sense from a law enforcement prospective?
Why should I pay for it.
Removing tattoos reduces recidivism. Those with tattoos are over 40% more likely to reoffend. Laser tattoo removal programs help keep people out of prison. In the case of the DOCs around the country having tattoo removal programs, it keeps people from coming back to prison at such high rates.
Would you rather your tax dollars pay to host people in prison again or get them back into society and on a path that doesn’t lead right back into corrections?
Tattoos are documented during the booking process, so while they may be erased from the body, they are not removed from record and can be used for identification or future law enforcement needs, as needed. Further, typically not all tattoos are removed from incarcerated individuals, just tattoos that are problematic from a social perspective (i.e. gang affiliation, racist) or located on parts of the body that would make reintegration to society more difficult.