A prisoner came in to the ER with a significant health issue.
"Critical patient in Resus Alpha"
{This is my cue}
Partway to the trauma bay I am stopped by a colleague who states,
"Resus A is a prisoner so you don't need to go down there."
{Hm}
My colleague continued,
"Prisoners don't have rights. While here, the prison is their family; it is the decision of prison staff to determine whether a patient's medical condition merits family of origin contact."
{As if a prisoner is somehow less human, less scared, less ill...and what about the family...do they have rights...will they receive support?}
An urgent page took me on to the next patient but this exchange leaves me feeling unsettled.
It feels a bit like a breach in my ethics...as a clinician but also as a human being.
What do you think?
um, that seems completely ridiculous. the prison is their family? maybe we have so many issues in our criminal justice system because of things like this.
ReplyDeleteIt does sound appalling, but in the context of the U.S. penal system it makes sense insofar as prisoners have no right to visitation with family members. Unfortunately, the patient's status as prisoner does not change even if he or she is removed from the prison for medical treatment. On the topic of prison and family contact, keep an eye out for this film. It's a tiny indie documentary, but it's amazing. www.mothersofbedford.com
ReplyDeleteThank you for the film recommendation, Joy. It looks like something I will easily get into (which is saying a lot since I usually maintain ambivalence about documentaries).
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