Inmate relations

Specialties Correctional

Published

Specializes in OR, Corrections, Management.

As a Christian, as a human being and as a nurse, I feel I must comment on what appears to be a wide sprear perception of inmates. Altogether too often, I hear "all inmates lie, they have nothing better to do than sit around and figues ways to beat the system".

Yes, I realize that there are some truley bad people in our prisons (isn't this the reason for prisons?), however, many are people who have made very bad choices or very stupid mistakes.

Yet, even the worst inmate is still human and feels all the emotions, pains and hopes that we in the free world feel.

Isn't it our job, our calling as nurses to assist people to achive their maxium state of wellness be that physical or emotional? How can we accomplish this if we veiw our patients as sub-human or second class?

Now, I am not advocating that we become "best friends" with our inmates, rather that we see them as fellow human beings who need our care, understanding and empathy as much as do patients in hospitals or nursing homes.

As a former military nurse and trauma nurse, I have seen manupitlive behaviors in almost all segments of society and have worked with drug and alcohol addicted populations.

I suppose that all I'm saying is let's remember that all of (including my self) have made bad choices and stupid mistakes. Lets not be too quick to judge and condem. After all the truth between an inmates version and the courts may lie some where in the middle.

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Specializes in Public Health, DEI.

I'll preface my response with the fact that I don't work in corrections, never have and never will.

Still, it doesn't hurt to remember that with the very rare exception, one doesn't land in prison for being a choir boy or girl. Competent, compassionate care is one thing. Letting your guard down is another and it could get you hurt or killed.

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Specializes in OR, Corrections, Management.

You're right, letting your guard down can be disasterous. However, as a member of an OR trauma team responding to trauma in the ER, I have been hit, bitten, kicked nad stabbed (once). Its a matter of being aware of your surroundings and paying attention to whats going on.

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this is why I say and do treat every inmate encounter with being fair, firm and consistant. That way you are fair to all and listen to their complaints, firm because this way you are not getting constantly scammed and conistant because you continually being observed by other inmates. I don't think it's any nurses place to judge any inmate as that was already done by the courts BUT when you have the same inmates on a regular basis trying to continually get over on you enough is enough. This I believe is what gets to nurses in general in corrections. Of course I am not speaking for all nurses this has been my observation over the years. Also I want to add that in the book Games that Inmates Play (I think that is the correct title?) a nurse who tries to 'keep the peace' is a prime target and often set up by the inmates. They will also pit "the nice one" against the other nurses and then so a huge mess begins. The overall concenses that I have seen is that the inmates do not care if you have or lose your job because of them. They will just find another target/game. Just my :twocents:

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As a Christian, as a human being and as a nurse, I feel I must comment on what appears to be a wide sprear perception of inmates. Altogether too often, I hear "all inmates lie, they have nothing better to do than sit around and figues ways to beat the system".

Yes, I realize that there are some truley bad people in our prisons (isn't this the reason for prisons?), however, many are people who have made very bad choices or very stupid mistakes.

Yet, even the worst inmate is still human and feels all the emotions, pains and hopes that we in the free world feel.

I suppose that all I'm saying is let's remember that all of (including my self) have made bad choices and stupid mistakes. Lets not be too quick to judge and condem. After all the truth between an inmates version and the courts may lie some where in the middle.

Yes, I have made mistakes too, but I have not murdered, raped, robbed molested, drove drunk etc. Lets not confuse garden variety mistakes with the crimes inmates are incarcerated for.

Additionally, it is true that inmates feel all the emotions that we do, all the pain etc., and they also put their feelings and emotions above the rights of others when they committed their crime.

Remember, inmates are only in prison for what they got caught for, not everything they did. The truth of what the inmate actually did is oftentimes far more than what they are in prison for when you consider this and their initial charges which are often plea bargained down.

In my experience, inmates are often times trying to pull one over, get something or play games. I treat inmates firm, fair and consistent. I do not feel sorry for them (they have earned their sentence) but I do not ignore their complaints either. I assess and then go from there.

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SIMPLES RULES TO FOLLOW IN CORRECTIONAL NURSING.

do not have a relation with these inmates- they are inmates first, then patients--do not ever forget that!

they lie, manipulate and coerce.

do not be that nurse that inmates say, "that nurse gave that to me, why not you"

do not use first names.

dont turn your back for second, you will be wondering. where that sharp went or where is that pen you misplaced or why the narc. count is off.

dont forget, you are in a total different setting.

you cannot be the same nurse you were in icu, e.r., med. floor, tele.,

or any other setting.

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i personally have no sympathy for an inmate being in the situation he/she is in. we're talking criminals not simple mistake makers. most people learn from their mistakes but a criminal is a repeat offender that doesn't learn from their mistakes. i do believe that nurses should offer the best care that they would as if working in another environment but you should never let your guard down. when you start looking at an inmate as a person and not a criminal that's when you're gonna get into trouble. they manipulate and play games. we have a phrase in our prison "that's their job". being firm, fair, and consistant let's the inmates know that you will take care of them when they need it (and you will do the best you can regardless of race, sex, crime, or anything else); however, you will not be easily manipulated or one to play games with.

nurses are trained to care for people as a whole but when you work in corrections you must always be aware of the type of people you're dealing with. you can still provide care that meets the holistic approach you just don't make it personal. i don't feel their pain nor do i sympathize with their situation. i simply listen to their complaints and watch their actions to see if it all adds up if not i let them know if so i take care of the situation and move on.

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Regardless of ones background if one is in correctional nursing one NEEDS the wisdom to know if this kind of work environment is for them. It is not any nurses job/problem to worry IF an inmate is innocent or guilty of a particular crime(s). That is for their lawyers to figure out. Yes there is the ocassional inmate who is found to be not guilty but that is a rarity. The fact is a correctional NURSE is going to go about meeting the medical needs of an inmate (and pysch referals) AND be aware of the possiblity of manipulation; also at the same time not strike up friendships with inmates.

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Specializes in forensic psych, corrections.

I agree. The most important thing for a corrections nurse to have is BOUNDARIES. If you have decent boundaries you'll never get into a conversation with an inmate about their charges, life/family history, etc. and you won't be in a position to judge them or feel sorry for them. That's not my job. I have as much respect for an inmate as I have for any other convicted felon in the community.

My job is to address their medical issues. Part of my job is to sort out the valid complaints from manipulators who try to get every little thing they can out of medical. It may even be my job to save an inmate's life (and I have done that, once) but it's not my job to advocate for them in the legal system or to suggest others do that.

It's unfortunate that people have been incarcerated unfairly but I believe that is the exception and I certainly wouldn't treat every inmate like someone who was innocent and mistakenly convicted. I don't get too familiar with any of them -- even the workers -- and I never turn my back on one, especially when pills and/or sharps are involved. At my facility, inmates are notorious for convincing a CO or a nurse or whoever to do something against the rules and then EXTORT them for whatever they can get, threatening to 'tell'. I don't form relationships. I have a full and happy life without making friends on the compound.

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it was requested by the person that i personal messaged this to that i post this. i took out very little of my pm due to this was intended to be a personal message. so for further input on my first post here ya go: i didn't say or try to imply that "anyone in prison deserves to be there and deserves no sympathy." (i should add here that this is what their family, friends or whomever else they have are for not me and that is why my opening line in my first post is "i personally have no sympathy for an inmate being in the situation he/she is in.") i know that there are people in prison that are innocent of what they were convicted of and i find that truly a shame; however, i've worked in corrections for 8 years now and have learned that i am not there to determine who is innocent or who is guilty. all inmates are to be treated equal otherwise you find yourself being accused of being partial. the crime means absolutely nothing to me. i am there to take care of medical and mental health issues. i don't sympathize with the inmates or their situations due to the fact that opens a door for compromise. i do the absolute best that i can to take care of the inmates and if that makes me a "simpleton" then so be it. that is your opinion and your entitled to it. i do not find joy in anyone's pain or suffering but if that pain and suffering is a result of being incarcerated i'm not there for that. i'll give you the response that i give to the inmates in dealing with this situation "we all make choices in life and sometimes they are not good choices. as a result we must deal with the consequences of our choices whether bad or good and sometimes the consequences are prison. now is a good time to take the steps to learn from the past and start learning to make choices that won't land you in prison if you get out. we have many programs to help you with this if you're interested you can kite mental health for the programs and we can work with you on these issues".

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Read Games Criminals Play. Inmates run games for years to set staff up. The most important thing to remember (IMO) is to have a clean team process and NEVER do special favors. Everything must be team approved.

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Prisons have a rehabilitative function not just punishment.

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