While you are technically correct – the person died as a result of their addiction. When a person is confined to a cell and is very sick and complaining that they need help AND there is suffiecent available remidy, it is inhumaine to not provide that treatment. Addict or not.
In the case of withdrawl, the required treatment is pretty minor (make sure the person isn’t dehydrated from the vomiting and diaharrea, possibly provide a mild sedative).There is no reason to die from withdrawl.
You are a disgusting uneducated and I won’t even call you a human being. Addiction is a disease but you are too stupid to understand that. Someone like you has no worth in life. This young person did. The world needs less people like you. How dare you you simple minded ignorant subhuman being.
I’m usually always on the law and order side. But this time, I have to say that some of the comments are a bit out of line. Not knowing anymore about the guy except that he had a drug problem, I’d say that he had worth as a human being, as son, brother, friend, etc…
Do you have kids Court Jester? What is their “worth”? Nothing by your standards unelss they are working. My kids are too young to work and god forbid they ever become addicted to drugs but their worth to me is more than life itself.
The prison, regardless of the cause of the medical condition (be it the inmate’s own doing, drug abuse, etc.) is required to provide at least a minimum standard of care to the inmate for the preservation of life.
Even the Geneva Convention states something to this effect! It’s shocking that a U.S. prison would not have picked up on the inmate’s symptoms and do something to alleviate them.
Ever notice that EVERYTIME something bad happens the victim’s family alleges the victim was ignored”? Maybe the family ought to look in the mirror on that issue. If they knew about it, why didn’t they get their kid into treatment? He was originally busted for intoxication and how were the jailors to know about his other issues? The relatives could have called a doctor if they knew the extent of his problems? Why didn’t they? Funny how these “victims” have no personal responsibility to themselves, and when they get arrested ALL of the responsibility rests with society. Don’t use drugs, don’t get busted, don’t die.
what about this scenario? The jailed individual fakes a seizure, forces a vomit, pretends to be passed out… and when a caretaker comes in to check the situation, the jailed individual springs to life and the caretaker now has to fight for his / her life.
I am not saying inmates don’t deserve to have their basic needs seen to, but the police officers have to ensure their own safety as well. And I bet they have seen enough BS from inmates to not be wary about an addict who is exhibiting odd behavior.
Let me summarize some of the points other readers have made so far:
1) He shouldn’t have been addicted to heroin in the first place, then the jail staff wouldn’t have had to neglect him and he wouldn’t have had to die. Therefore the staff had no duty to act.
2) How dare his family sue the jail, they should have helped him get over his addiction before he went to jail, and how were jail staff supposed to know he was going through withdrawl anyway? Heroin withdrawl is not always obvious. Therefore the staff had no duty to act.
3) Other inmates in the jail might be faking heroin withdrawl, therefore he might be faking it too, therefore the staff had no duty to act.
4) The life of a drug addict is worthless; therefore the staff had no duty to act.
Got to side with Amy on this one.\
Jails do have a responsibility to provide care for inmates; in this case we should let the facts come out before passing total judgment; however, Amy is correct – nearly everybody wants to blame somebody else for their own bad behavior. Drug usage is a genuine scourge on modern society.
does it matter? afterall, did the so-called relatives said he as a drug addict? so why did they not intervene prior to the arrest? here’s the other thing, how do they know what happened while he was in jail? if they visited him, did they bring up the fact that he was sick? we don’t know if the jail did or did not look at the situation. i don’t think he died of withdrawal. there had to be another underlying issue.
Regardless of the kid’s condition, the fact is that he needed medical care and many times prison guards ignore inmate complaints; they screwed up on this. I know our local county jail segregates inmates who are hooked on drugs and they keep a 15 minute look out for the 1st week until a doctor clears them. Comments about personal responsibility, accountability and parental oversight miss the mark. The guards should have called the duty nurse and at least looked in on him. Who cares if he was a junkie or a member of mensa or the national honor society? How does any of that translate into NOT providing basic medical care? He was in jail to await his criminal proceedings, no reason to “sweat” the kid, that is, make him suffer because it was his own fault for taking drugs in the first place? C’mon, that is just disingenuous, AT BEST!
You need to go to Westmoreland county PA and take a look at the “hard” cases that are there. Of course there is always a security concern so no guard is on duty by himself and would be in any danger to check up on a guy who is in bad medical shape; I can bet the kid was begging for them to call a doctor and the guards were busy watching TV or talking on the phone and told him to suck it up and shut up…ever had your fate in the hands of someone else?
Would anyone here have more sympathy for the son and his family if he were withdrawing without medical attention from an addiction to alcohol, calling out in pain and agony?
“Heroin withdrawal symptoms include
Insatiable craving for the drug
restlessness
muscle and bone pain
insomnia
diarrhea
nausea
vomiting
cold flashes
cold sweat
goose bumps
involuntary kicking movements
dilated pupils
watery eyes
runny nose
excessive, repeated yawning
loss of appetite
tremors
panic
muscle cramps
shallow breathing
convulsions
Increased heart rate
elevation in pulse
elevated temperature
sharp elevation in blood pressure
arrhythmia
stroke
heart attack
coma
depression
suicidal tendencies…”
Source: http://www.softlandingrecovery.com/articles/heroin_withdrawal.html
Doesn’t sound like any of us know the facts. Typically I side with Law Enforcement. They have a hard, crummy job, with very little pay. But if you’re going to lock people up, we can’t ignore their injuries. Self inflicted or not. Or at least we should be consistent. For example, if you come in with a gun shot wound then let them bleed to death. That’s only fair isn’t it?
From what I have learned about addiction, more times than not the addiction is a coping mechanism for an underlying problem. We do not know what led this young man to use heroin in the first place so to pass judgment on him based on the contents of this article is premature at best.
Has anyone that is blaming the family for “failing to help this man” been in a situation where they have had to personally deal with an addict in any shape or form? You can’t just say “stop it” to an addict! They cannot see beyond their own disease and how it affects everyone around them. Addiction is not a solo disease; it is a family disease, and enabling an addict is a lot harder NOT to do than you think.
Hitting rock bottom is the best way for an addict to start the recovery process; but unfortunately not everyone can be saved. That bottom can be forced (via an intervention) or it can be voluntary, or it can be death. Unfortunately, this man’s struggle ended in death. The fact that he was in a facility that should have granted him access to basic medical care is astounding to me.
I don’t care what led this man to addiction; he was a human being and he had a family. I would be curious to hear more about the lengths his family members went to in order to get him help before he ended up in jail. Again, before you vilify them as some have done to the addict himself, educate yourselves more on the whole story. And while you’re at it, learn more about addiction…
So the man was a heroin addict and therefore didn’t deserve medical treatment? This is nothing new, ‘cold turkey’ is the standard treatment for addicts in jails. The only notable thing about this man is that he died. We should all try to minimalize the suffering in the world, even among prisoners. I wonder how many of the ‘let the addicts rot’ type of comments are left by people who consider themselves to be good Christians?
This is what happens when you’re addicted to illegal drugs. Jail isn’t a rehab center. The root cause here was his addiction.
While you are technically correct – the person died as a result of their addiction. When a person is confined to a cell and is very sick and complaining that they need help AND there is suffiecent available remidy, it is inhumaine to not provide that treatment. Addict or not.
In the case of withdrawl, the required treatment is pretty minor (make sure the person isn’t dehydrated from the vomiting and diaharrea, possibly provide a mild sedative).There is no reason to die from withdrawl.
Let’s say the jail was negligent. Except to the attorneys what was the value of the man’s life. He was a junkie.
You are a disgusting uneducated and I won’t even call you a human being. Addiction is a disease but you are too stupid to understand that. Someone like you has no worth in life. This young person did. The world needs less people like you. How dare you you simple minded ignorant subhuman being.
Court Jester –
I have no arguement over what you say. The courts can use their regular standards to figure that out. It probably won’t be much, but who am I to know?
I just can’t imagine the midset of someone who says “ah, no fluids for you…let ’em die!” That’s twisted.
I’m usually always on the law and order side. But this time, I have to say that some of the comments are a bit out of line. Not knowing anymore about the guy except that he had a drug problem, I’d say that he had worth as a human being, as son, brother, friend, etc…
Do you have kids Court Jester? What is their “worth”? Nothing by your standards unelss they are working. My kids are too young to work and god forbid they ever become addicted to drugs but their worth to me is more than life itself.
The prison, regardless of the cause of the medical condition (be it the inmate’s own doing, drug abuse, etc.) is required to provide at least a minimum standard of care to the inmate for the preservation of life.
Even the Geneva Convention states something to this effect! It’s shocking that a U.S. prison would not have picked up on the inmate’s symptoms and do something to alleviate them.
Ever notice that EVERYTIME something bad happens the victim’s family alleges the victim was ignored”? Maybe the family ought to look in the mirror on that issue. If they knew about it, why didn’t they get their kid into treatment? He was originally busted for intoxication and how were the jailors to know about his other issues? The relatives could have called a doctor if they knew the extent of his problems? Why didn’t they? Funny how these “victims” have no personal responsibility to themselves, and when they get arrested ALL of the responsibility rests with society. Don’t use drugs, don’t get busted, don’t die.
what about this scenario? The jailed individual fakes a seizure, forces a vomit, pretends to be passed out… and when a caretaker comes in to check the situation, the jailed individual springs to life and the caretaker now has to fight for his / her life.
I am not saying inmates don’t deserve to have their basic needs seen to, but the police officers have to ensure their own safety as well. And I bet they have seen enough BS from inmates to not be wary about an addict who is exhibiting odd behavior.
Let me summarize some of the points other readers have made so far:
1) He shouldn’t have been addicted to heroin in the first place, then the jail staff wouldn’t have had to neglect him and he wouldn’t have had to die. Therefore the staff had no duty to act.
2) How dare his family sue the jail, they should have helped him get over his addiction before he went to jail, and how were jail staff supposed to know he was going through withdrawl anyway? Heroin withdrawl is not always obvious. Therefore the staff had no duty to act.
3) Other inmates in the jail might be faking heroin withdrawl, therefore he might be faking it too, therefore the staff had no duty to act.
4) The life of a drug addict is worthless; therefore the staff had no duty to act.
Stimulating conversation, as always.
Got to side with Amy on this one.\
Jails do have a responsibility to provide care for inmates; in this case we should let the facts come out before passing total judgment; however, Amy is correct – nearly everybody wants to blame somebody else for their own bad behavior. Drug usage is a genuine scourge on modern society.
does it matter? afterall, did the so-called relatives said he as a drug addict? so why did they not intervene prior to the arrest? here’s the other thing, how do they know what happened while he was in jail? if they visited him, did they bring up the fact that he was sick? we don’t know if the jail did or did not look at the situation. i don’t think he died of withdrawal. there had to be another underlying issue.
Regardless of the kid’s condition, the fact is that he needed medical care and many times prison guards ignore inmate complaints; they screwed up on this. I know our local county jail segregates inmates who are hooked on drugs and they keep a 15 minute look out for the 1st week until a doctor clears them. Comments about personal responsibility, accountability and parental oversight miss the mark. The guards should have called the duty nurse and at least looked in on him. Who cares if he was a junkie or a member of mensa or the national honor society? How does any of that translate into NOT providing basic medical care? He was in jail to await his criminal proceedings, no reason to “sweat” the kid, that is, make him suffer because it was his own fault for taking drugs in the first place? C’mon, that is just disingenuous, AT BEST!
You need to go to Westmoreland county PA and take a look at the “hard” cases that are there. Of course there is always a security concern so no guard is on duty by himself and would be in any danger to check up on a guy who is in bad medical shape; I can bet the kid was begging for them to call a doctor and the guards were busy watching TV or talking on the phone and told him to suck it up and shut up…ever had your fate in the hands of someone else?
Would anyone here have more sympathy for the son and his family if he were withdrawing without medical attention from an addiction to alcohol, calling out in pain and agony?
“Heroin withdrawal symptoms include
Insatiable craving for the drug
restlessness
muscle and bone pain
insomnia
diarrhea
nausea
vomiting
cold flashes
cold sweat
goose bumps
involuntary kicking movements
dilated pupils
watery eyes
runny nose
excessive, repeated yawning
loss of appetite
tremors
panic
muscle cramps
shallow breathing
convulsions
Increased heart rate
elevation in pulse
elevated temperature
sharp elevation in blood pressure
arrhythmia
stroke
heart attack
coma
depression
suicidal tendencies…”
Source: http://www.softlandingrecovery.com/articles/heroin_withdrawal.html
don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.
Doesn’t sound like any of us know the facts. Typically I side with Law Enforcement. They have a hard, crummy job, with very little pay. But if you’re going to lock people up, we can’t ignore their injuries. Self inflicted or not. Or at least we should be consistent. For example, if you come in with a gun shot wound then let them bleed to death. That’s only fair isn’t it?
From what I have learned about addiction, more times than not the addiction is a coping mechanism for an underlying problem. We do not know what led this young man to use heroin in the first place so to pass judgment on him based on the contents of this article is premature at best.
Has anyone that is blaming the family for “failing to help this man” been in a situation where they have had to personally deal with an addict in any shape or form? You can’t just say “stop it” to an addict! They cannot see beyond their own disease and how it affects everyone around them. Addiction is not a solo disease; it is a family disease, and enabling an addict is a lot harder NOT to do than you think.
Hitting rock bottom is the best way for an addict to start the recovery process; but unfortunately not everyone can be saved. That bottom can be forced (via an intervention) or it can be voluntary, or it can be death. Unfortunately, this man’s struggle ended in death. The fact that he was in a facility that should have granted him access to basic medical care is astounding to me.
I don’t care what led this man to addiction; he was a human being and he had a family. I would be curious to hear more about the lengths his family members went to in order to get him help before he ended up in jail. Again, before you vilify them as some have done to the addict himself, educate yourselves more on the whole story. And while you’re at it, learn more about addiction…
So the man was a heroin addict and therefore didn’t deserve medical treatment? This is nothing new, ‘cold turkey’ is the standard treatment for addicts in jails. The only notable thing about this man is that he died. We should all try to minimalize the suffering in the world, even among prisoners. I wonder how many of the ‘let the addicts rot’ type of comments are left by people who consider themselves to be good Christians?