Medical Care for Inmates

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meeshy

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Hi All,

I’m hoping there might be a lawyer or two out there who can advise me on an issue, and I would love to hear any and all comments from non-lawyers, also.

I visit our local county jail every week for a Catholic Bible Study. I have signed a confidentiality agreement (don’t have a copy, but will request one tomorrow) which I’m pretty sure pertains only to names of inmates and information about their cases, jail staff, and other members of the ministry.

Several of the inmates during the past few weeks have complained about lack of adequate medical care in the facility. I am interested in helping to fix this problem, and I have started by contacting my state Senator, who is a parishioner at my church.

My question is: Have I violated the confidentiality agreement I signed? If so, can criminal charges be brought against me? (I’m thinking not). And if someone at the jail decides to remove me from the Bible Study ministry, am I in a position to sue, based on whistleblower protection laws?

Finally, aside from the ACLU, can anyone suggest a more pro-Catholic legal organization who might be able to help with the plight of these inmates?

Thanks,

Meeshy
 
I want to congratulate you for being willing to get involved in a prison/jail ministry, and to take seriously the unmet medical needs of inmates. They have no voice to the outside, other than through concerned individuals such as yourself.
meeshy said:
My question is: Have I violated the confidentiality agreement I signed? If so, can criminal charges be brought against me? (I’m thinking not). And if someone at the jail decides to remove me from the Bible Study ministry, am I in a position to sue, based on whistleblower protection laws?
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I think you need to consult a lawyer about those questions. Unfortunately, the rules forbid us giving any kind of legal advice. Are there any free or pro bono legal clinics located in your area?
meeshy said:
Finally, aside from the ACLU, can anyone suggest a more pro-Catholic legal organization who might be able to help with the plight of these inmates?
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I am not sure where you live, but if you are in the US, you might consider contacting Catholic Charities. Even if the local branch does not involve itself in prisoner rights, they might be able to put you in touch with organizations in your state which do.

If you are outside of the US, I am not sure who to recommend.
 
I have no idea what state you live in, but certain private companies that provide medical care to inmates are notoriously neglectful. Like…people have died as a result of their neglect.

Good on you. Having worked as a nurse VERY briefly in the prison system, I can tell you that for every guy ‘complaining because he is bored’ (yes, I actually heard that) there are probably two with moderate to serious illnesses that need to be addressed. The medical staff usually wants to give good care, but ESPECIALLY if it is a private company, each tylenol costs money…and for that very reason they might not get one.

No matter what they have done, they are human beings and the system is responsible for their medical care.
 
Thanks for the replies.

I forgot that Forum members cannot give legal advice; sorry about that. Thanks for bringing that to my attention, Dale.

I kind of had a panic attack about this situation lastnight, I guess due to fear of being arrested. I don’t really think it could happen, because I think these confidentiality agreements are civil contracts. But no matter what happens, I just have to trust God and continue to stand up for social justice.

Those poor inmates can’t do anything to help themselves; their complaints usually go unanswered. One female methadone addict told me that while she was de-toxing there in jail, she asked for medical treatment and was simply patted on the shoulder and told, “You’ll be okay.” How awful. She’s been in there 55 days awaiting trial, and the first 30 were spent withdrawing cold turkey. 78% of the inmates at that jail are there awaiting trial – they haven’t even been convicted of a crime yet. But they have been stripped of their right to care for their own health.

As FoundmyFaith said, no matter what they have done, they are human beings, and they deserve medical attention.

Please pray for me, friends, as I fear I am walking into the lion’s den, but I have to do this.

Thanks,
 
meeshy said:
Hi All,

I’m hoping there might be a lawyer or two out there who can advise me on an issue, and I would love to hear any and all comments from non-lawyers, also.

I visit our local county jail every week for a Catholic Bible Study. I have signed a confidentiality agreement (don’t have a copy, but will request one tomorrow) which I’m pretty sure pertains only to names of inmates and information about their cases, jail staff, and other members of the ministry.

Several of the inmates during the past few weeks have complained about lack of adequate medical care in the facility. I am interested in helping to fix this problem, and I have started by contacting my state Senator, who is a parishioner at my church.

My question is: Have I violated the confidentiality agreement I signed? If so, can criminal charges be brought against me? (I’m thinking not). And if someone at the jail decides to remove me from the Bible Study ministry, am I in a position to sue, based on whistleblower protection laws?

Finally, aside from the ACLU, can anyone suggest a more pro-Catholic legal organization who might be able to help with the plight of these inmates?

Thanks,

Meeshy
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My husband worked for our County Jail system, as a civilian employee, for 20 years, and the number one rule is to NEVER GET PERSONALLY INVOLVED WITH THE INMATES. Report to your ministry supervisor and the duty watch commader at the jail that you have been approached by inmates who are complaining about the medical care and then tell the inmates that you are only there for Bible Study. Jails and prisions are regulary inspected by the Justice Department, State, County and local officials for violations of inmate rights and if there is a real problem it will be exposed. You may be headed for big trouble if you get a reputation for doing inmate favors.
 
Thank you for your reply, Catholic 1954.

I just want to clarify that I am not doing, nor have ever done, any personal favors for any inmate with whom I have come in contact. Moreover, the majority of inmates in our Bible Study vary from week to week – only a few regulars – and none of them have ever asked me for a favor.

While it is the Bible Study which originally put me in contact with prison inmates, I am not only there to conduct a Bible Study. I am there to talk, listen, and pray for my brothers and sisters.

I am also a person who is concerned about social justice, and justice for inmates in particular. Many of our prison systems are woefully overcrowded and inmate’s rights are NOT being defended, especially with regard to medical care. This is a widespread problem and it is not being looked after by local or state inspections, as you may believe.

The information is easy to find – just look it up on Google, under various keywords like “prison overcrowding,” “medical conditions in prison,” etc.

Our Bishops have said the following about the U.S. prison system: “In the United States, history tells us that the prison system was, in some ways, built on a moral vision of the human person and society—one that combined a spiritual rekindling with punishment and correction. But along the way, this vision has too often been lost. The evidence surrounds us: sexual and physical abuse among inmates and sometimes by corrections officers, gang violence, racial division, the absence of educational opportunities and treatment programs, the increasing use of isolation units, and society’s willingness to sentence children to adult prisons—all contributing to a high rate of recidivism. Our society seems to prefer punishment to rehabilitation and retribution to restoration thereby indicating a failure to recognize prisoners as human beings.” (see usccb.org/sdwp/criminal.shtml)

Thanks again for your response.
 
First aid is one of the most important method to avoid the serious problem…
So we should organize such teams to serve our nation and society.
 
Catholic1954 said:
My husband worked for our County Jail system, as a civilian employee, for 20 years, and the number one rule is to NEVER GET PERSONALLY INVOLVED WITH THE INMATES. Report to your ministry supervisor and the duty watch commader at the jail that you have been approached by inmates who are complaining about the medical care and then tell the inmates that you are only there for Bible Study. Jails and prisions are regulary inspected by the Justice Department, State, County and local officials for violations of inmate rights and if there is a real problem it will be exposed. You may be headed for big trouble if you get a reputation for doing inmate favors.
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While it’s right to not get personally involved with inmates, I don’t think attempting to bring certain concerns of the inmates to someones attention is getting personally involved. It would be a different story if a person was trying to get something in particular for a certain inmate. However, OP is just trying to bring attention to the medical concerns of larger jail population.

Also while it is trul that jails and prisons are regularly inspected, this doesn’t mean problems are always caught. While there are inmates who go to medical because they’re bored, there are many who really are sick. Still, they’re turned away, or not treated properly for their condition.

Check out this article if you don’t believe me!
pqasb.pqarchiver.com/jconline/access/2354406501.html?FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&fmac=908ce198916b82395466c01d837d2033&date=May+22%2C+2011&author=&pub=&desc=Confinement+confidential%3A+A+look+at+Tippecanoe+County+Jail

We need more people who care as much as the OP to help change this, becuase obviously the Justice Department can’t inspect them properly!
 
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