I had a situation last time I worked at a particular unit. I am curious as to whether any of you experience the same, and what did you do....or what would you do? We had an inmate in the psych observation cell that was in a psych crisis...hearing voices, hallucinating, talking to people that weren't there, hurting himself...etc.
This was day 2 of this, and he had been brought into the cell the day before due to cutting himself. His hallucinatory problems were becoming worse, and of course he was refusing his meds. Psych had not talked with him yet, as it was the weekend, and they never visit on weekends. Now the C/O's weren't shaking these guys down, because there had been a couple in a row that still had razor blades on them. This guy that I am referencing did too. He had cut his arm the day before, and the provider sutured it (long, but relatively superficial laceration down the length of his forearm), plus some other misc. cuts from sawing with a blade. Well, he showed us through the tiny window of the psych cell that he still had a razor blade. I was standing right there with the C/O when he showed it to us and told us that he was going to cut himself again. Well, the C/O, when I asked if they would go in and take it away, just kind of laughed at me. He said, and I quote "We aren't going in there unless he decides to use it". I replied that we "kinda knew that he was serious", not to mention his personal history of such behavior since he was in his early teens. I just could not believe that they would just sit back and wait for him to do something before they would go in and get him. And that is exactly what happened. The only reason they FINALLY went in to get him, after he opened his sutured laceration back up, and added a few more, was that the inmate made an allegation of a sexual assault. They said they had to have him examined and take his statement due to that allegation. Otherwise, they would have just let this dude sit in the psych cell dripping blood all over. It was more than frustrating. And this was the top ranking officer on the premises at this time, so there was no one else to call. So, what have you done, if you have encountered this type of behavior?
Specializes in Occupational health, Corrections, PACU.
I am finding it very gratifying that the facility that my original incident that I wrote about and that opened this posting, is at the SAME facility in which an inmate escaped a couple of weeks ago by obtaining a gun and holding two C/O's at gunpoint during transport. This facility is now being investigated for security breaches and it just might be my avenue to take it to the state level to add my 2 cents on the matter. I'll see where that leads me. But, I am SOOOO glad that the facility is finally getting the review that it so sorely needs. 4 C/O's have lost their jobs so far. Unfortunately, none of them are the Lt. that refused to do anything about the guy having the razor blade in the psych cell. I am hopeful.
As a former CO (and now Nurse) I am shocked that they would knowingly allow an inmate to keep a weapon like that on his person if for nothing else than the CO's own safety. Especially since all he would have had to do was ask the inmate to give it up...inmate refuses, activate the team to take it from him. No problems. If I were you in this place, I wouldn't care about being asked back, as this sounds like a place where you can loose your life. In all the years I worked as a CO, I was never scared for my life (except the time I faced down half of the population that was gettting ready to riot, by myself, for a few minutes until back up arrived, but that is a different story) But I would be scared to work there. No job is worth your life.
I find it hard to believe that the CO would not want to go in, but I would have placed a call to the Psych doctor and got an order for restraints, then the officers would have to go in and place the inmate in 4 pts for his own protection.
Can someone tell me why inmates even have access to razor blades? They get their hair cut by someone that could also shave them with an electric razor.
Specializes in Occupational health, Corrections, PACU.
Can someone tell me why inmates even have access to razor blades? They get their hair cut by someone that could also shave them with an electric razor.
There are always plenty of them in the prison. The inmates are given disposable razors to shave with. I do not know how they manage to keep them, as I understand each person is to turn what they were given in, but they break them and keep just the end with the blade in it. It is very small that way, and easy to conceal. That is what this inmate had in his hand, just the end part with the blade.
Specializes in Corrections,Med/Surg, Infectious Disease.
Well sadly inmates "fish" them to one another, security may be lacking some and even more sad is staff could be giving it to them for $$. Why on earth anyone would jeopardize their jobs for an inmate is beyond me, a few more bucks in one's pocket isn't worth it, nor the jail time you'd get if you got caught.
I have been watching that new show I think it's on A&E called " The Squad", man I love this show, it is in a TN prison but it's right there in the face of it all, how they investigate things even from the inside that lead to the outside, it's awesome!! Check it out!! Well anyway, the other day I watched it as I DVR'd it and it was about trying to find the path of how drugs and cell phones were getting inside their prison. Well, long story short, it ended up being a CO, they set up a drug buy on the outside in a hotel room and busted the moron. Now he is off to prison for " Intent to distribute cocaine". Now come on people think!!!
I do believe nurses telling CO's higher ups about the razor thingy because I too have experienced this and even told the LT who had a comment of, " Well, did you physically see the inmate with it.....Yes sir I did.....well, then it becomes a cat and mouse game where we (security) ask to see it and the inmate will either show us and/or swallow it so then it's a cycle, he has a razor, swallows it, goes for xray, returns to cell and it keeps on going." Wow, really.....good to know I report it for nothing pretty much. Same thing with telling most CO's. Some are concerned but it's usually the newer ones who are still learning the ropes as a CO.
I even did rounds with a CO and noticed a long long string from one cell to another and it was still sticking out of the inmate's cell door, so the CO was going to walk past it but I grabbed the string and pulled it and pulled it and pulled it and that sucker was literally about 20 ft long before it got to the end and came out of the inmates cell. The exact words out of the CO's mouth I kid you not were..." Oh good, you can be the bad guy now, not me." Wow, are you kidding me?
My issue is we have literally multiple cutters every night, some compete against one another for the attention(yes sadly these morons will cut just to be the so-called bigger man) and it's dumb. Not only does it create havic in the pod but secuirty makes promises to the inmates..." I will give you an extra tray if you don't cut tonight"....then an hour later I see the inmate finishing his 2nd sandwhich and then say, " As soon as I finish my sandwhich I'm going to cut"....why well because a frequent cutter was being cell extracted because he was cutting and swinging his ambulatory restraints at the cell door because the officers didn't put this inmate in the restraints properly.
So, it's very frustrating for us nurses because we can't do anything for the inmate anyway until Security gets into the cell, but in FL you cannot enter a cell at all without permission from the inmate and the Capt, otherwise it is considered a "Use of Force". The inmate must cuff up, otherwise the nurses have to call the Psych on-call to get a Use of Force order.....everything takes time and the blood just keeps on coming. Sometimes it's so frequent I don't kill myself rushing around cause I can only do so much, it's mainly a security issue once the bleeding is taken care of.
Another dumb thing.......does it makes sense to restrict staff (all staff) to not allow them to have a plastic liner in their lunch bags to keep it from collapsing but you can bring in a 12 pack of soda cans to drink and sell canned sodas on the compound. Gee and who takes out the garbage......the good inmate orderly's.....ya think they don't sell the cans to others for shanks and stuff? I mean it's really insane. They even allow staff and good behavior inmates(orderly's) to smoke on the compound or right outside the Quad doors. Even some inmates smoke in their cells when the rounds are not time yet, you can smell the smoke but the CO's just shrug it off.
So, that's a tad of what it's like where I work! Crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!
Specializes in Occupational health, Corrections, PACU.
Hey L4FL: Thank you for your glimpse into how your workday is. It sounds almost exactly like TX. Many things are simply insane in the prisons. Sometimes the C/O's are the biggest problem, not the inmates. And I have read that over and over again in these threads. Again, thanks for sharing!
Honestly...I would straight up ask...would you want this prisoner to use the blade on your fellow officer? Or anyone else under their watch. End of story.
Specializes in I have watched actors portray nurses.
Wow - what an ethical dilemma for you! So many considerations. It is a whole different ballgame in corrections, isn't it? I am so sorry to hear that you wouldn't get the support of your nurse manager. That is such an important part of that role. When I am in those situations I ask myself - what would I be wanting to report that I did from the witness stand if there was a court case? It often helps me make the hard decisions.
Very good point. Thank God there are a ton of attorneys out there waiting for opportunities to ensure that proper actions are taken on behalf of those without voices -- those without rights. Granted, they make a pretty penney themselves in the process. But, they do a much needed job.
However, another way to look at the dilemma from the nursing perspective is to ask yourself what would I do if that self-destructive inmate were my mother or father, son or daughter? How important would it be then for me to insist that action be taken -- that the proper treatment be delivered? Sometimes correctional nursing work has to be a bit more than just navigating the legalities of ethical quandaries. It sometimes just has to be about empathy for the patient.
If I had been in your shoes, I would have gone to the Superintendent or Warden and reported this. Once you saw this person with a weapon, you were put in the position of protecting him and yourself. If an officer refuses to act, you must report it immediately. If you go to a higher authority, you will get results. I work in a facility with great officers and a great Superintendent, but once in awhile, you will experience something like you just described. We have never been discouraged or afraid to voice our opinions.
I would have called the Captain or Major immediately.
Captain, Lt...... all the way up to the Warden is just more of the same. The guards are often experts at all kinds of abuse including psychological. They all "cover" for each other and are usually dirty all the way to the top. Some of them become "heroes" to their peers by starving, emotionally torturing, or beating the living daylights out of an inmate and gain promotions from their evil activities.
The only way to gain any attention to such a problem is to report it outside of the institution.
Specializes in Corrections,Med/Surg, Infectious Disease.
Amen to that reply erroridiot!!! You said it perfectly!!!
Captain, Lt...... all the way up to the Warden is just more of the same. The guards are often experts at all kinds of abuse including psychological. They all "cover" for each other and are usually dirty all the way to the top. Some of them become "heroes" to their peers by starving, emotionally torturing, or beating the living daylights out of an inmate and gain promotions from their evil activities.
The only way to gain any attention to such a problem is to report it outside of the institution.
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katkonk, BSN, RN
400 Posts
I am finding it very gratifying that the facility that my original incident that I wrote about and that opened this posting, is at the SAME facility in which an inmate escaped a couple of weeks ago by obtaining a gun and holding two C/O's at gunpoint during transport. This facility is now being investigated for security breaches and it just might be my avenue to take it to the state level to add my 2 cents on the matter. I'll see where that leads me. But, I am SOOOO glad that the facility is finally getting the review that it so sorely needs. 4 C/O's have lost their jobs so far. Unfortunately, none of them are the Lt. that refused to do anything about the guy having the razor blade in the psych cell. I am hopeful.