Scary story!

Specialties Correctional

Published

I do agency work at a jail to supplement my school nurse salary. (Weird, I know.) I'd been thinking about doing some shifts at a nearby prison. Mentioned this to another agency nurse, who used to be the nursing supervisor for a prison. She told me an interesting story...

She was working as a nurse at the prison when an inmate slipped her a love note. She was shocked and brought it to the officers, who then searched his room, and found a piece of paper with her full name, address, and phone number on it. This inmate was due to be released in 2 weeks. His crime? Rape.

He was put in "the hole" for 2 weeks and was then released. She had three small children. She said she couldn't sleep at night and was terrified (obviously.)

Fortunately it has a happy ending... she found out a little while later he was back in jail... she wasn't sure what for, and she didn't want to know.

Has anything like this happened to anyone else? I mean, I've been hit on, and there's the guy who sings the "I'm so sexy" song whenever I pass by, but never anything as scary as that.

yes, that is a very scary story. it ought to remind all of us to be careful what we say within earshot of inmates and to be vigilant about removing identifying information from articles we bring in and to be conscientious about ye old staff directory. inmates are always saying suggestive things. i don't respond unless it is really needed and then i usually say, "do i respect you? to which the answer is always yes, because i do. usually i don't have to say anything more.

Oh wow. That is freaky. I never get hit on. I make sure I keep a reputation of "That Redheaded B****". I also bought a gun and am Taking Shooting lessons. I have made alot of enemies by not giving in. I know the officers I work with would protect me to the hilt. But the officers aren't with me when I run into an ex inmate at Walmart or something. There is only one of me, real easy for the inmates to recognize me. I may not always remember them. I never sit in a restaraunt with my back to the door either. Just an attempt to be aware.

Specializes in PeriOp, ICU, PICU, NICU.

Wow, how terrifying. Wonder how he got her info.

I carry a .38 Special on me at all times. Anyone who wants to try and attack me, you've been warned.

I carry OC (pepper spray) on the outside and I wouldn't hesitate to use it. I have run into former inmates on the outside, but fortunately it has never been a problem. I am certainly more aware of my surroundings and who is around me than before going into corrections. Once you work in this field you realize just how many sex offenders and violent criminals there are in your community. You meet people with no conscience, no sense that what they do is wrong - you know they could hurt you and they really wouldn't care - your life would mean nothing to them. About once a year we get someone in that is so evil (for lack of a better word), that I can barely stand to look them in the eye - It's an interesting area to work in - you see a side of humanity (in a large quantity) that not everyone gets to see. People often ask if I am afraid to work in a prison and I always tell them that there have been moments where I was afraid, but I have never been afraid to go to work there.

You go girl!

Yeah! We had a guy who had killed his wife in front of his kids and cut her up in little pieces. He put the pieces in a barrel and stuck it in with some other barrels behind a local factory. She was there for months before she was found and the only reason she was discovered was because the barrel started to stink real bad and workers in the yard called police after they pried the lid off the barrel. He said he was on meth at the time and was out of his mind. He wasn't in our jail long. He freaked me out and I asked the commander to get rid of him. He went to DOC that week. He had the strangest look in his eyes. It was pure evil. There was no spirit in his eyes. He looked right through you. Spooky.

I'm sorry I'm still laughing at being a school nurse/jail nurse...is there really a difference? ;)

I frequently remind prisoners for little offenses, i.e. "your hair looks nice down" or calling me dear or hon, that that is not the way to speak to a DOC female employee. It's a little way of reminding them that yes, I may be friendly, but I am not interested and the whole DOC is behind me in my disinterest. Sometimes it is innocent on their part and sometimes it is not, they are testing to see what I will 'let slide' in the familiarity department. I have had threats made, etc. I report them immediately. I want the guys to know that I am there to help them, but not interested in any other type of relationship with them besides that of care giver. I work in a 1000 male level 2 prison. I also believe in my job as my mission and trust God to watch my back! Having said that, I also believe it is my responsibility to follow the appropriate safety procedures, no matter who is advocating relaxing them. One of the key areas that this involves, for me, is refusing to see prisoners alone, no matter how 'short' custody is, or how bad the problem is. This has been a real sticky-wicket with shift command on a couple of occasions, but I stick to my guns.

How in the world did this person get her full name and address?? She had every right to be scared and I'm sure she was relieved when she found out he was back in jail. I'd be carrying pepper spray for sure... maybe a tazer.

They had a staff directory with names and phone numbers and addresses. He got ahold of one somehow. Don't know how he got her SSN.

Some of the teachers at the school tease me that school nursing and jail nursing are the same, I'm just getting my future jail clients a little early! :)

And you know, it's funny... there are inmates who I cannot look at, who freak me out to no end on a pure gut level... it's never the murderers or rapists. It's always relatively benign charges... makes me wonder what else they've done.

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