Nurses Misbehaving While Caring For Inmates

Published

Specializes in Latest interests: Hospice Home Care.

:mad: Yes, I am disturbed about the bad reputation nurses are gaining at the correctional facility where I work.

One gave inmates Ultram in large quantities without an order, the other smuggled cell phones and cigarettes into the jail, and here's the latest - another just got arrested for inappropriate sexual relations with inmates.

What the heck is going on? Of course these nurses were arrested and entered the jail from the "other side of the fence". I guess I'm just baffled. I wouldn't think that nurses would engage in such behavior ESPECIALLY when our DON issued many warnings about what not to do when working as a nurse in corrections.

Needless to say, our reputation for being "the angels of mercy" that dignifies nurses around the world, is pretty much gone south. I feel that our respectability as a group has been comprimised and it just angers me. By the way, these separate incidents have happened in the short span of 3 months. Has the world gone crazy or is it just me?

What about your correctional facility? Have you ever heard of such things going on where you work? I even had a run in with somthing when I trusted the wrong person who happened to make an appearance in the medication room where I was pouring pills. Needless to say -- when it comes to narcotics, I have learned not to trust anybody! Nobody gets the chance to get that close to me or my cart again. But everything turned out OK, but I can't say the same for these other nurses. I might have been a "target" or "victim" but that's not the case with these people. They knowingly took advantage of what they thought was an easy way to get around the system built to protect those working.

Everybody gets caught sooner or later, but now that things have come to light, it makes those who actually work hard and do their jobs - uncomfortable. These nurses were my colleagues. I thought they were people who chose nursing because most of the time we do perform some kind of necessary function even if our only "patients" are those wearing jail uniforms.

Anybody with thoughts on this rather different and uncomfortable topic?:confused:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Well, considering the fact I will be starting in corrections soon, this news is very unsettling. At this point, I have been more concerned about the staff than the inmates. I know the inmates will be under the umbrella of universal precautions for safety...but I am concerned as to what the staff will be like. I wonder how I will fit in. I have been a critical care RN for 23 years, am in my 40's, and am sooo ready for a change from hospital BS. I consider myself pretty flexible, upfront, excellent assesment skills and have a fine tuned BS meter. This combination of skills has not served me well in the private sector, as I have pretty low tolerance for manipulative behavior and the "customer is always right" in the management model of nursing care in hospital. I believe my skills in the prison setting will be reflected as fair, firm, consistent and professional.. what can I expect to find in the staff around me? I'm skeered. Please..someone tell me what the best interpersonal path to take in order to be accepted by staff and mostly to be efficient in delivering optimum medical care in the prison setting. Any advice from old timers out there?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I wouldn't take it too personally -- this kind of stuff happens with the occasional nurse in all kinds of settings, not just corrections. I've known of lots of nurses over the years getting into all kinds of legal and licensure trouble for various reasons.

I used to work in a VA 28-day residential drug/alcohol treatment program with a nurse manager who was known to have taken up with several of the clients over the years -- started dating someone she met in the program, moved him into her house, other staff members would talk about having run into her and a client at the grocery store or other places around town. Eventually, the day would come that the guy would relapse and her car would be seen creeping up late at night to the ER entrance, she would shove him out of the car in front of the ER entrance, roar off into the night, and that would be that ... (Until the process started again with another "recent graduate" :)).

It's sad, but people make all kinds of choices.

As a friend (social worker) and I like to remind each other all the time, "clear, healthy boundaries are the key to a happy life." Apparently, plenty of nurses missed the "professional boundaries" lecture in nursing school ... If you always take care to do things the "right" way, you'll be on solid ground even when there's a bad outcome (which there sometimes will be, despite your best efforts).

Up Vote Up Vote ×

That is a very vague answer to my very specific questions. Is this the best answer out there to my specific questions??

Up Vote Up Vote ×
That is a very vague answer to my very specific questions. Is this the best answer out there to my specific questions??

I wasn't attempting to respond to your questions -- I was responding to the OP. You only posted a few hours ago. Maybe a little patience?

Or you could start a new thread with a title specific to your questions. That might garner you more responses.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Latest interests: Hospice Home Care.

to anne128,

i would not view myself as an "old timer" considering that i have only 4 years at this correctional facility.

every day is a learning experience. i'm a med nurse and so i keep pretty much to pouring my 9 books and then begin the task of distriburion. one thing i have learned is that maintaining your emotional balance is very important.

you seem well grounded and therefore should take the chance and see if you like the situation. i have met some very good nurses who take their jobs seriously. on the other hand, i have to agree with elkpark -- "clear, healthy boundaries are the key to a happy life."

for some nurses, especially rn's, the correctinal arena gives them the opportunity for a less demanding situation than a hospital setting. inmates do get injured, they do have infectious diseases, and they do have some minor medical issues as well. take the chance -- at least you won't be left wondering about what it would be like to work in corrections.

i think that as nurses we are a pretty well balanced group. unfortunately these back to back incidents with nurses where i work raises eyebrows from the correctional officers. but i'm sure any company out there will have similar stories to share. the only difference is that misbehavior in a correctional setting has dire consequences. these nurses will loose their license, they will spend lots of money for legal defense and some will even get to live inside a jail cell. matter of fact the latest incident involving a nurse has resulted in his incarceration. he's in "protective" custody presently and i cannot even imagine what this has done to his family.

everything we do is monitered by a camera that captures images continuously. hiding behind a curtain doesn't cut it because sooner or later the inmates talk. even the ones that were not on the same floor all know what happened. once it makes the news, it's an open topic for discussion.

so, take the job and see what develops. using your fine tuned bs meter will certainly help you in sticky situations.

good luck and keep posting!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
That is a very vague answer to my very specific questions. Is this the best answer out there to my specific questions??

. . .Or you could start a new thread with a title specific to your questions. That might garner you more responses.

. . . . .with the added benefit of people responding to the issues raised by the person who did start the thread.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks for the responses. I am hoping most of the staff are professionals and very few are the 'misbehaving' types. Ay yi yi. Unbelievable. :eek:

Apologies for my last post...it DOES sound snarky now that I read it.. not intended..

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, Research, Corrections.
Well, considering the fact I will be starting in corrections soon, this news is very unsettling. At this point, I have been more concerned about the staff than the inmates. I know the inmates will be under the umbrella of universal precautions for safety...but I am concerned as to what the staff will be like. I wonder how I will fit in. I have been a critical care RN for 23 years, am in my 40's, and am sooo ready for a change from hospital BS. I consider myself pretty flexible, upfront, excellent assesment skills and have a fine tuned BS meter. This combination of skills has not served me well in the private sector, as I have pretty low tolerance for manipulative behavior and the "customer is always right" in the management model of nursing care in hospital. I believe my skills in the prison setting will be reflected as fair, firm, consistent and professional.. what can I expect to find in the staff around me? I'm skeered. Please..someone tell me what the best interpersonal path to take in order to be accepted by staff and mostly to be efficient in delivering optimum medical care in the prison setting. Any advice from old timers out there?

I have been working PRN pool in corrections along with staff ICU. IMO, the

staff are more difficult to get along with than the inmates. If your prison is like

my county jail, the other nurses will take awhile to accept you.

I know you have tough skin though from working ICU for many years. That

skin will protect you. Working corrections is like a breath of fresh air compared

to the hospital. Some nights I work are like sheer entertainment.

Just treat all inmates fairly. Show respect unless you are disrespected first.

I think the hardest thing for me was to back off assessing or treating a pt if

an officer told me too. Pay attention to what the officers say - they know these

people! Also, I always like to call my pts PATIENTS. The officers want them

referred to as inmates. So if the officers want them called inmates, that's what

I call them. To me, they are still patients.

Good luck on your new adventure!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.

This is exactly the kind of situation I'm warning about when I tell people going into corrections to maintain appropriate professional distance. If you excessively empathize with inmates, the seeds of compromise are already planted. These people have gotten by all their lives by manipulating others and convincing people of things that are either exaggerated or totally untrue. During my years in corrections I have seen many people cross the line, both officers and free staff - including some I would never have suspected. It starts innocently enough - maybe a staff member doing a small favor or bringing in something small (like a music CD). Then it escalates. It is a big credibility boost for an inmate to compromise a staff member to the point of getting that person fired - extra points if they are prosecuted, as two correctional officers in my agency were about two years ago.

During my career the following have occurred (and this isn't a complete list):

An officer prosecuted for bringing marijuana and a cell phone to an inmate, and having sex with him.

Two nurses, a correctional officer and a warden's secretary marrying inmates.

A dental assistant, a warehouse supervisor and a records officer fired for sexual activity with inmates.

A correctional officer pimping another officer to inmates, with the money being sent to an outside account.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I've seen quite a bit of inappropriate behavior. I won't go into details, but I find it unbelievable that people would risk their license for an inmate or for illegal money/drugs. I go to work and I try to be the best nurse that I can be. I enjoy corrections the majority of the time, but am surprised everytime somebody is walked out of the facility--and it seems to happen on a regular basis.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Correctional Nursing, Geriatrics.

I agree with Orca...appropriate professional boundaries and distance are important for the correctional nurse. I, too, have seen many instances of nurses and officers crossing the line. A correctional nurse has to be "firm, fair, and consistent" at all times. Inmates can be manipulative, as we know, and don' do for one inmate anything you don't want to do for the entire inmate population. These are basic credos for the correctional nurse to live by...but I ask you how a nurse becomes involved with an inmate?? I, too, feel like some of these things are soo unbelieveable. We had a nurse that got fired for being involved with an inmate serving life sentence for murder...hello???? Hard to comprehend...they're crafty, I'll say that much for them. Also, like Orca, I have seen officers caught up in these messes, some I would NEVER have imagined and had the utmost respect for before the situation occurred. Correctional nurses and officers need to remember it is a CRIME (in most states a felony) to have sexual relations with a person in custody. That person does not have the legal ability to consent to a sexual relationship while in custody. These nurses and officers are taught this during training and yet it still happens. CRAZY!:confused:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion