When is spending $675,000 a good deal for Benton County government?

When it costs the county $85,000 a year less than it would otherwise spend.

But even if the costs for privatizing medical care for inmates represented a break-even proposition, the proposal as described by the Benton County Sheriff's Office sounds like a winner.

Truth be told, a good number of law-abiding folks in Benton County probably don't care much for the idea of paying medical bills for folks on the other side of the law. But there are some fundamental responsibilities we, as a society, take on in the conduct of government affairs. We build jails so that those accused or convicted of law-breaking can be contained as needed. But we no longer toss people in cells and forget about them. Or at least we try not to.

Medical care for inmates is just a fact of life. Jails hold people who haven't been convicted of a crime as well as those who have been. Our modern-day sensibilities rightly compel government to provide reasonable levels of medical care for those whose liberty has been taken.

But sheriffs, deputies and jailers are not medical professionals, so many of them feel out of their comfort zone in making the decisions about hiring individual doctors and nurses and knowing precisely how to set up a system of medical care within the confines of a county jail.

Benton County sought requests for proposals from private companies that focus on inmate medicare care and, one could reasonably argue, might be more well versed in the job than law enforcement personnel. Southern Health Partners submitted a low bid of $675,000. The highest response was $1.8 million.

Beyond costs, other factors contribute to the good sense of this proposal. Chief Deputy Rob Holly recently told Quorum Court members the Southern Health proposal will turn over the defense against medical lawsuits to the company. The agreement also will provide a mental health professional for the jail. That's an important addition. Many of those who flow through area jails are there, at least in part, because of mental illness. Some of them desperately need intervention that jailers are untrained to provide. Any medical changes that improve access to mental health services is a step in a positive direction.

Benton County isn't alone in facing the challenges of inmate medical care. Washington County continues to look at contracting with a private company to coordinate all care and provide the medical personnel.

The proposal as described by Benton County Sheriff's Office leaders appears to offer a chance for an improved approach to medical care for inmates with the potential to save a little money. But let's not kid ourselves: Medical care isn't getting any simpler for anyone, much less those in jail. The proposed system looks like a better approach for the future that can apply lessons learned by a company that provides similar programs for jails in other states. There's no sense in Benton County having to reinvent this particular wheel.

The details of the proposed contract matter a great deal, but if the county's legal folks have reviewed it and the Quorum Court gets its questions answered satisfactorily, contracting with a private medical firm is an approach whose time has come.