Prisoners in the US state of Massachusetts will soon be able to donate organs to shorten the time they have to spend behind bars, if the law proposed by two Democratic congressmen in this federal state is passed.

The program envisages a sentence reduction of no less than 60 days and no more than 365 days for prisoners who will donate an organ or bone marrow. A special committee will define the standards and criteria and consider each case separately.

The US Federal Bureau of Prisons allows inmates to donate organs only to help their family members. No state allows organ donation from executed prisoners.

The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) reports that 104.413 people in the United States are in need of an organ transplant, and 58.970 are on the active donor waiting list.

Jesse White of Prisoner Legal Services of Massachusetts notes that "racial disparity is a serious problem for some communities when it comes to access to donated organs and bone marrow," but adds that the proposed law is not the way to solve the problem.

– We are concerned about the real risk of inadequate medical care in prison conditions. We are convinced that the solution must include overcoming the structural problems that lead to health inequality, including the unnecessary incarceration of many people who could live freely and safely in our communities - said White.