# Incarceritis



## njff/emt (Dec 14, 2010)

I've had plenty of visits to the jail for a prisoner thinking they can be set free by faking a medical problem when in the long run their wrong., I'm very curious to hear your stories to the jail featuring would be oscar or razzie nominations., I would also like to say that I know there are prisoners that do suffer actual problems for which this thread is not for.


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## socalmedic (Dec 14, 2010)

"pregnant" female, with imminent birth, who has been in the female only prison with no visitors for several years... if she was pregnant she sure didnt show it.


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## njff/emt (Dec 14, 2010)

Cleared up from a job and got sent to the jail for seizures., We get on scene and the pt is laying face down on the bench handcuffed to the wall sleeping., I asked the cop when did it stop and he said about 2 mins ago., When I asked what happened the cop said that the pt started shaking and whatnot and then fell asleep., I proceeded to cancel medics and take his vitals once we got him up., Everything checked out fine and he insisted he goes to the hospital., Once I explained that officers were going with us and when the hospital medically cleared him that the same officers will be bringing him back he decided to RMA


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## Sasha (Dec 14, 2010)

I hated going to the jail and avoided it at all costs when my company got a contract with them. It was scary and uncomfortable. They'd actually grab themselves, shout crude comments, and just were perverted.

One time I was taking someone BACK to jail. He claimed, despite being discharged, that he was paralyzed. We did some fancy manuvering to get him onto the metal "bed" attached to the wall at two spots in their sick bay because he refused to move claiming he was paralyzed. 

That is until the officer told him to move his foot so he could undo the leg shackles.


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## Journey (Dec 14, 2010)

socalmedic said:


> "pregnant" female, with imminent birth, who has been in the female only prison with no visitors for several years... if she was pregnant she sure didnt show it.



Are you referring to the recent case in California? Did they ever determine whether it was a male guard or the EMT or Paramedic working in the clinic who got her pregnant? In that situation, it would be prudent to take the patient to the hospital. But it could get this inmate an early release and if the male employees are stupid enough to fall for that trick, then you can't blame the inmate for figuring that out. 

Don't expect a pregnant woman to always show immediately and some may not show until almost the 6th month.


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## JJR512 (Dec 14, 2010)

While working for a private IFT company, I would sometimes go to various incarceration facilities around Maryland, usually to return a prisoner to the jail or prison, or sometimes to take one with chronic problems to a medical appointment outside the facility.

One time, I was sent to Baltimore's prisoner infirmary to return a prisoner to another building, which was practically across the street. The policy for the jail system is that a pair of guards from the _destination_ facility must accompany the prisoner. So we get to where the prisoner is, then have to wait about an hour for the guards from the destination to show up. Now, this prisoner was there for a broken leg, so he had a big thick cast on his left leg. The guards begin to cuff and chain him, as they are supposed to do. Now, the handcuffs are supposed to get locked to a big leather belt that goes around the waist, so the prisoner cannot raise his arms. But this guard had a hard time doing this, and in fact the patient (the prisoner) wound up helping her out. Then the guard went to put the leg irons on, but realized she wouldn't be able to shackle the left leg due to the large cast. So she had the bright idea of cuffing the right leg to the stretcher frame instead.

This probably would have been a good idea under the circumstances, except what she actually cuffed him to was the IV pole that was collapsed and snapped down. So really, his legs weren't secured at all. I decided not to say anything about it, figuring he wasn't going to get vary far, what the cast on and his arms/hands shackled the way they were. So I said nothing. Anyway, we transported (across the street) without incident, and bring the patient in to the intake area for him to be processed back in. We are directed that the patient can go ahead and get off the stretcher and sit on one of the benches, and we can leave. The guard starts unshackling him, but seems to be having trouble uncuffing him from the stretcher. I don't think she had a bad angle to get the key in, or something, whatever.

I saw her having trouble, and I was extremely tempted to just lift the IV pole up and slide the cuff off—I really, really wanted to. But something inside me said no, don't embarrass her like that, don't make her look any more incompetent than she's already made herself look, not in front of a prisoner. So I just left her to figure it out for herself.


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## socalmedic (Dec 14, 2010)

Journey said:


> Are you referring to the recent case in California? Did they ever determine whether it was a male guard or the EMT or Paramedic working in the clinic who got her pregnant? In that situation, it would be prudent to take the patient to the hospital. But it could get this inmate an early release and if the male employees are stupid enough to fall for that trick, then you can't blame the inmate for figuring that out.
> 
> Don't expect a pregnant woman to always show immediately and some may not show until almost the 6th month.



ohhhhh, NOOOOOO. i had no idea about that. this was just a nutty patient who wanted a get out of jail free card. this was back when king drew hospital (killer king) was still open too.


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## njff/emt (Dec 15, 2010)

I just remembered one I had afew months ago., We cleared up from the hospital and got sent to the jail for an asthma attack., Medics were getting their stuff out just as we pulled up., The medic listened to the prisoners' lungs and said they were clear, once the pt heard that he put on a show., He started to fake sob and whatnot and actually started to stand up and try to cough his lungs out(mind you doing this while cuffed to the wall)., The cops released him because they were short handed and he had to sign something promising to come back., So we load n go and on the way he gets out his cell and makes a call to his "girlfriend" and at first he is talking normal and then starts to fake cough again so I take the phone and hang up(he's not happy with me), then he starts to dry heave., We finally get to the hospital and he starts the works again as soon as we roll him in., I give my report and as my crew is rolling him to his bed one of the nurses says she knows him., When I ask how so, she says as soon as we leave he's gonna leave the ER and meet up his dealer to score some dope., I gladly handed her his cellphone.


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## JJR512 (Dec 15, 2010)

I once had a very bizarre thing happen in regards to transporting a prisoner. Well, not actually transporting...Let me explain.

My partner and I get sent to a hospital to retrieve a prisoner to return her to a women's correctional facility. I forget the exact details, but from what I remember, she was a diabetic and had gone to the hospital for complications thereto, and while at the hospital, it had been determined that she needed to start regular dialysis. When we show up to get her, the nurse on the unit tells me that we're no longer needed, because the destination facility—a correctional facility, where the patient came from, where she was doing time—refused to accept her. My partner and I looked at each other like :blink:

I had no idea that a correctional facility, which has been legally ordered to house a person for the term of their sentence, could refuse to accept that person. I have no idea what happened to her after we left, but always wondered.


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## Journey (Dec 15, 2010)

JJR512 said:


> but from what I remember, she was a diabetic and had gone to the hospital for complications thereto, and while at the hospital, it had been determined *that she needed to start regular dialysis. *When we show up to get her, the nurse on the unit tells me that we're no longer needed, because the destination facility—a correctional facility, where the patient came from, where she was doing time—refused to accept her. My partner and I looked at each other like :blink:
> 
> I had no idea that a correctional facility, which has been legally ordered to house a person for the term of their sentence, could refuse to accept that person. I have no idea what happened to her after we left, but always wondered.



This patient's level of medical care has advanced and must now be placed in a facility that has the appropriate medical staff for ongoing monitoring and a contract with a dialysis center.  The county or state still has an obligation to that patient(inmate/prisoner) as well as the order of the courts must still be honored. However, her case may now be re-evaluated since a dialysis patient is very, very expensive to house.  

You could also compare this to a patient who needs a higher level of care and losing their bed at a nursing home that does not to provide certain services and must now be placed in a SNF which does. Or, a hospital that does not provide dialysis (of many types including that which may be required for certain ICU patients) may transfer these patients to another hospital.


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## mycrofft (Dec 15, 2010)

*HAhahaha, all good.*

I could write a sitcom....

I particularly liked events when we had them on the security cameras. Once they knew we could look at the replay (affter I'd determined the inmate was not in danger), "stairway falls" went from three a month to zero.

Oh, and pregnant inmate==HCG urine test.
Have questions? Email me. (about 20 years working corrections), happy to oblige.


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## Sasha (Dec 15, 2010)

> So we load n go and on the way he gets out his cell and makes a call to his "girlfriend" and at first he is talking normal and then starts to fake cough again so I *take the phone and hang up(he's not happy with me), *then he starts to dry heave., We finally get to the hospital and he starts the works again as soon as we roll him in., I give my report and as my crew is rolling him to his bed one of the nurses says she knows him., When I ask how so, she says as soon as we leave he's gonna leave the ER and meet up his dealer to score some dope., *I gladly handed her his cellphone*.



Youre lucky youre not my partner. How dare you.


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## Journey (Dec 15, 2010)

mycrofft said:


> I could write a sitcom....
> 
> I particularly liked events when we had them on the security cameras. Once they knew we could look at the replay (affter I'd determined the inmate was not in danger), "stairway falls" went from three a month to zero.
> 
> ...



Yes there are probably many fakers in the California corrections system but I hope you are not bragging about the medical care there. The  hospitals that  receive some of the messes made by the inadequate health care provided in the correctional facilities could write a book on medical negligence and malpractice. It is bad enough when they get dragged into the lawsuits for the mistakes made by others who may no longer care but are earning a decent state wage and pension plan.  Usually these systems  hire lower level providers like EMTs or LVNs to avoid paying for RNs and providing decent care for the long term.


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## lightsandsirens5 (Dec 15, 2010)

My favorite one so far was the inmate who was cuffed and shackled and tried to take on the guard with his head. Except the guard stepped aside and the guy instead took on the striker plate on the doorway. Blood was stinking everywhere. He had a pretty good lac right down the middle of his head. Darn guards could hardly keep from laughing as the guy told his story. He was completely honest and told us everything, at one point he said something to the effect of "what a dork I am." 

I have never seen so much blood out of so small a lac.


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## TransportJockey (Dec 15, 2010)

lightsandsirens5 said:


> My favorite one so far was the inmate who was cuffed and shackled and tried to take on the guard with his head. Except the guard stepped aside and the guy instead took on the striker plate on the doorway. Blood was stinking everywhere. He had a pretty good lac right down the middle of his head. Darn guards could hardly keep from laughing as the guy told his story. He was completely honest and told us everything, at one point he said something to the effect of "what a dork I am."
> 
> I have never seen so much blood out of so small a lac.



YAy for idiots  Sounds like he got exactly what he earned for himself


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## johnrsemt (Dec 16, 2010)

When I was working in Indiana;  we used to go to small hospitals by prison to take prisoners to the state hospital, (level I TC).  or straight to the prison to take them to the hospitals.

  Had 1 prisoner that already was a BKA,  going to have his other leg amputated:  the guards had problems deciding what to do with the leg cuffs, since he only had one leg.   the finally went from leg to cot and back to leg.   I asked them what they would do when  he was returned with no legs.  they told me that they  would have to get written orders about not using them,  or to get bigger ones, and put them on the upper legs.

  Another run was for unresponsive:  pt was relatively new onset Diabetic (since he was in prison):  while he was in his cell he could refuse his Insulin,  (12 units 4 times a day).  He had been throwing up for 3 days when he was sent to the infirmary:  there he could NOT refuse his meds,  and for 2 days they were giving him Insulin,  while he couldn't keep even liquid down for more than 3 minutes.     needless to say his BG was under 10  (and then kept him in infirmary, unresponsive for 12 hours before they called,  because the doctor there wouldn't order him out till he was sure he wasn't going to wake up.


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## njff/emt (Dec 16, 2010)

let me explain sasha, i had forgotten to include that once he started to cough and dry heave i took the phone and spoke to the person, explained what was going on and said he couldn't talk right now., Since he started to cough and whatnot whenever he was talking I put the phone and put it in my pocket until we got to the hospital and return it., Also he was talking to us perfectly fine until he got on the phone., It wasn't until the nurse told me his intentions I gave the phone to her since she was going to be taking care of him, plus they were going to take it away anyway., sure it may haven't been the best decision I've made, but I believed it was good at the time, thus preventing even more workload for the already busy ER staff if he were to return in an even worse condition., granted he may have signed himself out and did whatever he wanted to do but at the time I was looking out for my patient until I handed care over to a higher medical authority., If you want to respond please do so via private message because I don't want to flood this thread with anything not related to the thread subject., Thank You


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## EMSLaw (Dec 16, 2010)

socalmedic said:


> "pregnant" female, with imminent birth, who has been in the female only prison with no visitors for several years... if she was pregnant she sure didnt show it.



Just because she's been in prison with no visitors doesn't mean she can't get pregnant.  You'd be shocked what goes on in State Prisons (most of it some combination of illegal, unethical, or immoral). 

I assume, though, that there was no crowning to be found.


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