Correctional nursing role..nurse or police?

[Kashia]

During my school rotation we did clinical training in a California state prison.

Although my time was brief, perhaps 3 weeks, this was the impression I came away with:

The nurses at this prison, including the DON, represented everything I believe nursing is not. I had the impression most of the nurses there were correction officers with a stethoscope. They enjoying humiliating

the inmates and being generally disrespectful and rude.

They repeatedly told us ( the student nurses) what terrible human beings the inmates were, deserving of no respect, that they were predators....and I kept thinking the only terrible I could see was the attitude of the nurses.

On the other hand, I met a nurse once that worked per diem at our hospital and regularly at a county jail. I really liked her and she was a terrific nurse, although I did only work with her in our hospital setting.

I have decided to reconsider the role of nursing in corrections...

So my question/concern.....is it necessary to give up caring about your patients in order to do correctional nursing? Is it necessary to be routinely judgmental towards someone for circumstances you really know nothing about? As nurses, isn't our role there to well....be a nurse?

I came away feeling it was the nurses not the inmates that I was most concerned about ( I've left out details of situations I observed)

[lalalady]

Those of you who work in corrections, please check out this thread! We would like to hear from you! This occured in a hospital, but you might know more about this situation than we do.

"Man sues over fluid samples taken by force"

https://allnurses.com/forums/f195/man-sues-over-fluid-samples-taken-force-279497.html

[AmericanRN]

I have just joined this site and I was reading the posts and was prompted to join and post a reply. When I started working in a prison I had no idea if it would be me for me or not, and we all know there are nurses that are great nurses, but correctional nursing isn't for them. I, too, watched staff scream, yell, and do things I could never see myself doing. I learned something on my own, R-E-S-P-E-C-T. I found you can be firm and still be respected. Where I work, respect is very important to our prisoners. They want you to respect them, so I made it clear to those that I had to, that if respect is wanted then it must be given. I found this works alot better than yelling, screaming, etc. Usually, when I do have a problem with a couple of them, I tell them that they have disrespected me. And, I seem to get better results than the other staff that scream, yell, etc.

Bingo you got it. The screaming and yelling is a good way to get seriously injured by inmate as well. I know of a previously very disrespectful booking clerk who ended getting literally jerked up and suspended by her neck. Took ALOT of CO's to get this man to drop her. He later said it was because of her constant yelling, screaming etc. Many people I know both patrol & jail officers and correctional nurses all say stand firm, be consistent, fair, and talk low. The talking low instead of yelling saves more lives. Everyone wants respect even the most belligerent of drunks or the quietest serial killers do not like someone in their face.

This respect no matter how it is perceived is especially important with the advent of so many "gangs" firmly entrenched in the prison system. Their number 1 issue is always a "respect" or "disrespect" perception.

I always make sure I remember that in a detention system the non inmate is seriously outnumbered regardless of job description and the inmates can take over that jail or prison any time they want to. Set a few rules and treat them nicely without becoming a best friend and not only will they respect you they may one day save your life from another inmate. After all it takes one to know one and an instutionalized person can smell weakness and fear a mile off and if it translates into disrespect in their brains someone will be severely injured or killed. It's all a matter of timing and balance.

[bollweevil]

A lot of cops and correctional officers think they have to be rude and tough in order to control the prisoners and inmates, just as cops on the streets think of all non-cops as dangerous and subjects or suspects, and so treat people too rudely, out of fear, in an attempt to be safe. In fact, they are offending people, who might be reluctant to help the officer if he or she were injured or in trouble. No, that situation doesn't arise often but it could and I would think the prudent officer would want the public as friends, not as resentful former targets who won't help the officer in time of need. Nurses often emulate this in order to fit in with their peers and with the culture that confronts them at work.

Don't try to change others, just do your own thing. And let no one take advantage of you, either peer or patient. Be fair and be firm but be nice about it. "Sorry, I can't help you. We';ve discussed it, if you bring it up again, you will force me to write you up and I really don't want to do that. Now do please believe me and leave this subject alone."

There is a lot of mental illness in prisons and it's not just among the patients. There are rogue cops, sick nurses, whatever. Keep calm and quiet, be courteous, treat others as if they were someone God loves - and He does love them. Try to use a little humor, dont go overboard.