My sister who is in jail was given medication by a regular gaurd. the medication was oxycodone. Is that right that any regular gaurd can give medication? What if she were given the wrong stuff, someone elses meds? Is there any thing that can be done about it?
2007-05-15 12:45:51 · 4 answers · asked by Ben H 1 in Health ➔ General Health Care ➔ Pain & Pain Management
in jail it's pretty normal for drugs to be passed around. The easiest place to score drugs is in jail or prison. I don't really think there's anything you can do about it, except tell your sister not to take any drugs unless they are given by the doctor in the jail.
2007-05-15 12:50:50 · answer #1 · answered by Cherokee Billie 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Any branch of corrections, whether it's a short term jail or a long term prison, will have access to over the counter, prescription medications, a pharmacy, physicians, medical equipment, and a nursing staff.
Someone that she thought was a "regular guard" could have in fact been a nurse that is also a trained corrections officer.
Many nurses are put through basic training, similar to police academy training, so they can work in prisons among the inmate population.
If she is in doubt about it, she should ask to go to the clinic/ER, pharmacy, or make an appointment to see her doctor. If she has a lawyer, she could contact her lawyer and find out about the standard procedure for dispensing medications in the facility where she is being held.
Patients that are locked up are still receiving insulin, dialysis, asthma treatments, emergency medical care when needed, and regular check ups. In jail/prison they are allowed to see the doctor, dentist and eye doctor when needed, too.
I worked for the department of corrections in a medical capacity, and it was like any other hospital work. I did not have direct inmate contact, I'm not a peace officer, just a medical professional. But there were corrections officers/nurses that dispensed medications to inmates. They dress in military style uniforms like any other guard. Where I worked we did not have regular nurses in nursing-type uniforms to dispense the meds.
If in doubt, you could call the facility where she is being held and ask questions. There should be someone that will answer questions for you, or be able to mail an information pack to you.
Often times there will be a website that has Frequently Asked Questions for those that have loved ones that are incarcerated. You might want to Google the name of the facility and see if they have a site.
Best of luck to you and your sister. Take care. And don't listen to people that say there are drugs all over. That's not true.
2007-05-15 20:24:24 · answer #2 · answered by wwhrd 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My husband works at a prison and the medical team there must dispense all drugs not the officers. In a small county or city jail if the inmate has a prescibed medicine then the medicine stays with the administration and may be given by an officer as long as its the prescribed medicine and the proper dosage as prescribed. This may also vary from city to city, state to state and so on.
2007-05-15 19:58:23 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Was this medication prescribed to her by a doctor? What is the reason she would be taking this - it is a pain killer... If it has not been prescribed to her by a doctor then of course the guard should not have administered it to her.
2007-05-15 19:50:09 · answer #4 · answered by emtd65 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋