[NiceNurse]

I am so glad I read this thread, I wish everyone who has a relative in prison/jail could read it and the jailers too.
I was wondering if anyone has a good answer I can give when a lawsuit is threatened by an inmate? If I had a dollar for every inmate who said "I know my rights if I don't get my meds, a second mattress, etc. I'll sue you". Usually before I've even got their name on the screening sheet.
Seems like suddenly the women all have a hx of CA, need PAP smears, and the men have "blisters" on their penises. Oh and Oxycontin or Methadone will cure them.


[quote=crjnursewarrior]I have to get on my soapbox here! Fiestynurse and the others that are defending the healthcare in the jail/prison systems....you are so RIGHT! I think that these people who are complaining about the people who do not get the appropriate meds in jail/prison need to take into consideration the fact that most of these people, when they were not incarcerated, NEVER went to the doctor! They NEVER would have gone to

[stevierae]

Originally Posted by donmurray

Schizophrenic people present a far greater risk to themselves than they do to the public, and the suicide rate is higher for those with the diagnosis. Unsure if the stats were similar for UK & US, I googled and found schizophrenia.com

" Suicide is unfortunately the number one cause of death for people with schizophrenia - but it is highly preventable! Upwards of 40% of people that have schizophrenia will attempt suicide at least once.

But, I wonder if they are more prone to commit suicide during times when they are non compliant with their meds---and, here, many of the street people you see talking to the voices in their heads (yes, they are schizophrenic) are ON the street because they refuse to remain compliant with their meds--they don't like the side effects.

I don't know about them being a danger to themselves, but the ones I see all the time in San Francisco and Oakland--usually panhandling in between talkign to or yelling at the voices in their heads---tend to get violent when they don't get what they want. I am not easily intimidated, but I have been hit and spat upon, and had feces thrown at me. It comes with the territory, I think, when you take BART (the rapid transit system) outside of which many camp out with their shopping carts hoding all their belongings, and panhandle.

[stevierae]

Originally Posted by sagarcia210

My brother, who has had IDDM for years, was recently incarcerated. He was not given his insulin for 4 days. He was taken to the E.R. from the jail, in a coma. He had a blood sugar of over 750. He was stable prior to that because he watched his diet, checked his sugar, and took his insulin like he was suppose to.
Now, he has Renal Failure because of it. And his IDDM is very brittle now.
The kicker is, his wife even offered to bring in his insulin and needles and accucheck monitor so that he could be stable, and the jailors denied it.
Yes, there is a pending lawsuit over it!

This is a sad situation and, if accurate, tragic.

Now, my OWN brother- in- law had the opposite problem.

He had brittle diabetes and was in and out of the prison infirmary (is that the proper name for the prison hospital?)

He was expected to die and got permission to go home to do so. He was still a prisoner, mind you; however, he was in such bad shape he was absolutely bedridden. He wasn't exactly healthy enough to go out and rob banks or sell crack, LOL!

So he was home a week or two, but his wife couldn't get him to remain compliant with his p.o. meds, and he refused his blood sugar testign and his insulin injections.

One fine day, honest to goodness BOUNTY HUNTERS showed up on his doorstep--wouldn't have believed it had I not been there myself, visiting in rural Georgia--

Back to the "grey bar hotel" for him.

(I think his wife tipped them off, but she ain't sayin'.)

[jamangel]

Originally Posted by sagarcia210

My brother, who has had IDDM for years, was recently incarcerated. He was not given his insulin for 4 days. He was taken to the E.R. from the jail, in a coma. He had a blood sugar of over 750. He was stable prior to that because he watched his diet, checked his sugar, and took his insulin like he was suppose to.
Now, he has Renal Failure because of it. And his IDDM is very brittle now.
The kicker is, his wife even offered to bring in his insulin and needles and accucheck monitor so that he could be stable, and the jailors denied it.
Yes, there is a pending lawsuit over it!

I think your situation is very unfortunate. I don't know if I'd say that is the norm. At the jail where I work, if an inmate is on a medication, including psychotropics after the physician is gone for the day, then the family member can bring in the ORIGINAL current prescription bottle with meds and that inmates name imprinted. The info is copied and an order is obtained for it. If it is a psychotropic then a short order is obtained until the next day when the psychiatrist can see them. Diabetes is kind of ridiculous not to treat. If an inmate states he has DM, then a BS is obtained and if he/she can tell us his regimen (oral or SQ) we can get an order for it and routine accuchecks from the doctor by calling him. I work in Augusta Georgia but every facility has it's own policy. Unfortunately, there can be negative care given to inmates because of where they are. Also, you have 2 agendas going on in corrections. Medical has their own and Security has their own. Majority of the times, security wins. The atomosphere between the two is not of the best. Sometimes, medical wants to help but security shuts you down . I didn't even know there were facilities that did not have 24 hr nursing. An inmate can be admitted at anytime of the day or night. Maybe the 2 can come together one day, hopefully .

[LPN_mn]

I work in a regional treatment center for the Mentally Ill and Dangerous and the Sex Offenders. I could tell you some very disturbing stories about the MI&D patients. They normally come to us after they have been to the court. They have comitted murder, rape and many other horrific acts upon innocent people. These people are very dangerous and are only med complient when they are in the institutionalized setting. One of the other posters noted that they are not med compliant because they do not like the side effects of the drugs and that is a very true statement. Some of the MI&D patients have what is Jarvis. This means if they do not voluntarily take theire meds that we can force them to take them. I understand that these people are mentally ill but I would not want them out on the streets for any reason due to the horrific crimes that they have commited because they did not take their meds. They preferred the alcohol and illegal drugs to treat their symptoms. These are very intelligent people for the most part. They know the difference between right and wrong yet they choose to not take their meds and then decompensate and that is what gets them into trouble. Don't blame corrections for their problems. They have brought their incarceration upon themselves and corrections always seem to get the blame. We are not making any money off of the people either. They are court ordered into the facility and the state is paying for them to be there. The state also pays for their medical, dental, and psychiatric treatment. I would like to know how anyone figures that we are making money off these people. I am only referring to the mentally Ill population. The sex offender programs are just as bad. But don't get me started on that one.

[jamangel]

Most inmates aren't med compliant until they are institutionalized or incarcerated.

[BackOff]

I agree with NiceNurse and Jamangel. I have an inmate who returned three months after release. He fractured his hand in a fight 4 weeks ago. I have had him three days. He is threatening to sue because he was not immediately taken to an orthopedic specialist. I have sent 12 people to the dentist this week out of a population of 75. We are a small county detention. When you check with the doctor these people say they are seeing and ordering their meds, they have not been there in several years. I get so tired of being told. "You have to see I go to the doctor/dentist"

[targa]

Wow... what a bunch of judgmental nursing "professionals".

Inmates (those already convicted of a crime) and pretrial detainees (those who are being held pending trial) are constitutionally entitled to adequate medical care under the 8th and 14th Amendments to the Constitution. This includes the right to medication, and the right to have already-prescribed medication continued by a detention facility.

I've personally litigated a dozen cases against detention facilities on behalf of inmates who were denied medical care. For the most part, the facility's MD discontinued medication that the inmate/detainee's personal physician had prescribed, without consulting with the personal physician. This happens so often and in so many facilities that I could have a law practice specializing in it, if I wanted it.

These unlawful actions are often aided and abetted by nurses who should know better. One should be careful about letting his/her personal feelings influence an inmate's treatment. One MD discontinued an inmate's HIV meds, stating that he was a "drug addict" who didn't deserve them. Thank god the head nurse in the facility had the backbone to testify against the MD. You might think most/all inmates are "working the system", and some are in fact "slick". You act at your peril, though, when your cynicism and personal feelings influence your treatment decisions.

If a corrections nurse has reached the point where he/she can't be empathetic, caring, and compassionate because "these criminals don't deserve it", it's time to find another specialty to work in.

[LPN_mn]

Originally Posted by targa

Wow... what a bunch of judgmental nursing "professionals".

Inmates (those already convicted of a crime) and pretrial detainees (those who are being held pending trial) are constitutionally entitled to adequate medical care under the 8th and 14th Amendments to the Constitution. This includes the right to medication, and the right to have already-prescribed medication continued by a detention facility.

I've personally litigated a dozen cases against detention facilities on behalf of inmates who were denied medical care. For the most part, the facility's MD discontinued medication that the inmate/detainee's personal physician had prescribed, without consulting with the personal physician. This happens so often and in so many facilities that I could have a law practice specializing in it, if I wanted it.

These unlawful actions are often aided and abetted by nurses who should know better. One should be careful about letting his/her personal feelings influence an inmate's treatment. One MD discontinued an inmate's HIV meds, stating that he was a "drug addict" who didn't deserve them. Thank god the head nurse in the facility had the backbone to testify against the MD. You might think most/all inmates are "working the system", and some are in fact "slick". You act at your peril, though, when your cynicism and personal feelings influence your treatment decisions.

If a corrections nurse has reached the point where he/she can't be empathetic, caring, and compassionate because "these criminals don't deserve it", it's time to find another specialty to work in.

I don't have a problem with giving these people their meds. I have a problem with the way the system is run. I work with the Sex Offender population. Let me tell you how it works. They run around molesting, raping, and ruining childrens lives. Then they go to court and are sentenced to prison time. Then they come into the Sex Offender Program where they are suppose to participate in Treatment. The way it really works after they are released from prison and get to the treatment program is that they refuse to participate in treatment because they have been "lied" about or "framed" or some other excuse. They do not accept responsibility for the lives that they are ruined. Then on top of that they are given better medical, dental, and psychiatric treatment then any law abiding citizen in the United States. When they get to my unit they get the meds that are prescribed to them and they see the dentist and any other medical needs are met. I just have to ask who is going to pay for the many years of counseling that children need because of the heinous crime that was commited to them. I am guessing that you don't work in the corrections you just litigate the cases of the inmates who complain that they are not getting everything that they want. It is a crying shame that in the United States that a criminal gets better medical care than non criminal people. May be the jails and prisons are so full because people cannot afford to get medical treatment but if they commit a crime and go to jail then they will get all the medical attention that they want.

[sirI]

Originally Posted by Faith Nurse

I have recently spoke to a nurse who works in a detention center. I was surprised to find that if you become arrested you can be denied your medication, even if it is something you cannot just d/c like Paxil. The nurse I spoke to said it's just that way; I have a difficult time accepting that answer.

My very sweet next-door neighbor was arrested for drinking and driving -- he was on injections for schizophrenia -- he committed suicide, due to the fact he was going to jail and would be denied his injections (like he has in the past for same offense). I'm really concerned, even if these people have broken the law.

Has anyone heard of this before?? And can anyone explain why this is???

Thanks in advance =)

I am a NP and tried correctional medicine last year. I HATED it. Yes, the meds will be changed and/or denied in alot of instances. Even in long term care and for inmates in the system for life. If the med is on the formulary, it will be used, and if not, nope. And the substitutions are a joke. Very narrow list of drugs used to treat a wide variety of illnesses and/or disorders, physical and/or mental, I might add. And, if they have a probable disease process requiring long term care and due for parole soon (soon could mean within the next year or so), they will be denied referral. Or, if referral is done and a chronic problem is found requiring surgery, this will be postponed until it progresses to the point of almost emergent care.

I hate to give the state that this is going on. It is the truth, although. Hard to believe, but true.