Posted on 02/24/2015 7:54:55 AM PST by redreno
One pill. I lost my son over one pill.
On the first Saturday in January this year, my son arrived at the Allegheny County Jail in Pennsylvania. On Monday – not long after midnight – he was declared dead by Mercy Hospital. If the guards and the Corizon staff (a for-profit correctional healthcare company) at the hospital had been willing to provide him with the medicine that he needed to stay alive, he would not have died.
You see, my son had seizures. The last major seizure he had was so bad that he bit off a piece of his own tongue. It scared him, and he took his medicine religiously, twice a day. He knew when a seizure was coming, and it took a few hours for it to come on. So when he was locked up, the Corizon staff listed the medications he needed to take, and when he needed to take them, on the intake form provided to jail authorities.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
By the way, how do you know he was a drug dealer?
In my hometown a father called the police on his 18 year old son who come home drunk (underage and driving the dad’s car). The kid had been getting into trouble so the father thought it would do the boy some good to spend a night in jail to be scared into straightening himself out. The father had to talk the police into it, as when they arrived, he was asleep and had been in bed for an hour, but they took him to jail to spend the night anyway.
Next morning the father got a call that his son had been stabbed in county jail, and bled to death before anyone noticed. As a parent, I can tell you that this father has never gotten a nights sleep since, without some sort of drink or medication.
Our society punishes wrong doing by withholding freedom, supplemented by the shame that comes from being jailed. The punishment is not supposed to be refusal of medical treatment, or a beating by a thug, or forced sodomy or anything else.
Jails are getting to be the default answer to too many questions from mental illness, to unruly kids, to minor violations, even debt. When it becomes so common, the shame value is lost. It used to be a scandal to be locked up, now, since it happens a lot, to a wide range of people, there is no adverse social stigma.
It would take some political courage, but incarceration reform would be a good idea that no one will propose.
This is a sad story. Correctional facilities and police stations are not usually equipped to deal with “exceptions.” In fact, they are so used to being lied to that they believe nothing an inmate says.
I think, worse than that, is that no one had called the family yet? I know prisoners are not the best people in the world, but when they are dead they are still someone’s “baby.” And the family deserves to be called.
I was falsely accused by a Crazy person repeatedly of multiple crimes. The Prosecuting Attorney finally got tired of the whining and issued an arrest warrant. I was arrested and placed in jail. I then posted bond and was released.
Long Story short, after 6 months on attempted coercion by the P.A. to plead out the case they dismissed the Charges with Prejudice.
So I should have been raped, abused, attacked or even killed while there because I was arrested?
Seriously, if you have never run across a Psychopath or
Narcissism in your life you have no clue what you are saying. Become their target and get back to me.
I thought as you did, until my world was turned upside down.
Given my experience with the Judicial system I have no doubt there are many people in jail and prison that shouldn’t be there. I had the resources to fight like hell to challenge the system. If you don’t, you are screwed with a 50 dollar and hour over burdened Public Defender.
What was your son in for?
Yes.
So what?
I’m shocked at how naive some of these folks are on this thread. They have an idealized vision of how the “justice” system works which is not near the reality.
See my tagline.
You can end up in jail for 72 hours for doing nothing, except that some cop didn’t like you. And sure ... you’ll get out ... but maybe not “get out” before you’re DEAD!
Murder your brother if you don't like them.
Don't be surprised when The King doesn't claim you.
People die every day for any number of reasons.
Even with an attorney ... you can be in there for 72 hours, and in that length of time ... you can be DEAD!
Ya like treating people with medical issues like they're in some 3rd world Turkish prison wideawake? You think it's cool? Deserved?
So if you or others with multiple health issues, get jailed on trumped up or BS government charges, you'll support them withholding your life saving medications right wideawake?
Would it be OK with you while your choking on your own saliva if the guards gang rape you till ya squeal?
Just a thought wideawake.
In general, I think the attitude is “if it doesn’t happen to me or mine, I don’t care”. Seems to be a quirk of human nature around here.
That's the difference between "conservative" and "right wing" -- brains.
Smart had a rap sheet, but it did not include drug dealing.
They watch a lot of TV and think the Cops work hard to get “the right guy.”
My wife and kids are sick of me watching cop shows like Law and Order and Criminal minds where I point out all of the violations of things like search and seizure. Sure, it makes for good drama, but it sets a bad precedent.
They get angry at me when I question the police when I get stopped for a stupid, random, reason.
I have a family member who is a public defender. Generally speaking, her clients are idiots.
The US healthcare for the incarcerated is probably better than that for the US veterans.
I think this is less about poor healthcare and more about poor treatment of a prisoner - shackling him during a seizure. This fits a pattern I have seen locally, when a man having health problems (likely a stroke) was tased and cuffed for not complying with police instructions - and he died right there.
I know police/guards have a hard job; and, they deal with liars and con artists all day - but stories like this are too common.
It’s not, but the prison run health care is not much better and in some instances, is or was arguably worse.
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