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Do Prison Medical Policies Endanger Inmates
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Springfield, Vermont - October 2, 2009
Are prison inmates' lives at risk because of medical policies in the corrections department?
Earlier this week the state medical examiner ruled that inmate Ashley Ellis died this summer because she was denied medicine she needed for anorexia.
For years, inmates, their families and defense lawyers have claimed that convicts too often are denied essential medications. For Ashley Ellis, the denial of her prescription drugs meant death, but there are other examples where it is prison personnel who are the victimized.
Corrections videotape documents the takedown of an inmate named Daniel Heart who attacked corrections officer Chris Barrett in the dining hall at the state prison in Springfield.
Heart is a diagnosed delusional psychotic who hears voices and was serving at least 40 years for killing his roommate in 1996 and other violent assaults while in prison.
He kicked Barrett in the head breaking bones and causing other serious head injuries that ended Barrett's career in corrections. Barrett filed suit against Prison Health Services, the private contracted company that provides medical care to inmates. The guard claims the health care provider ignored the inmate's requests for his prescribed anti-psychotic medication for two weeks before the attack-- a request he repeated minutes after the attack.
He can be seen on the corrections videotape asking, "Can I get my medication?"
The guard's lawyer says the officer is suing for lost pay and medical expenses.
"The claim we make in the complaint is that the assault that occurred on October 2, 2005, was caused by PHS's failure to give a psychotic inmate Daniel Heart his anti-psychotic medication," said David Williams, the victim's lawyer.
Vermont Defender General Matthew Valerio says inmates are denied prescribed medications because of prison policy. Valerio says he understands that many inmates try to game the system and illegally obtain drugs, but there have to be improvements to ensure inmates or staff do not end up suffering unnecessarily or dead.
"You know long term we're hoping that some policy or statute can be developed that says look, if you're coming in from the outside and you're on a verified medication through a pharmacy, that you are required to stay on that medication until you see the doctor," Valerio said.
Corrections Commissioner Andy Pallito defends the prison medication policies but acknowledges the death of the young woman in St. Albans indicates there are problems that need to be addressed.
"This is not an issue though of a contractor having multiple bad performances and we're just sitting by watching," Pallito said.
The Vermont state police say the investigation into the death of Ashley Ellis will be completed next week and then turned over to the Franklin County prosecutor for possible criminal action.
Brian Joyce - WCAX News