Comments on: Langlade County Jail complaint

By: Been There

Been There — Mon, 09 May 2011 20:02:10 +0000

To Red – as a former correctional officer in Langlade County, I want to give you kudos. You sound like a very intelligent, level-headed person and I give you all the credit in the world for turning your life around…and adding some common-sense perspective to this forum!

By: flyonthewall

flyonthewall — Wed, 04 May 2011 15:32:08 +0000

i dont argue that fact. MOST inmates DO suddenly have the need to take care of things they couldnt be bothered with on the outside. for some it is the first time they have a clear enough head to even think about those things. my only issue is when someone comes in with a chronic medical condition or happens to be in the middle of an acute situation they should not have their potentially life-threatening meds messed with or have meds that SERIOUSLY impact their health withheld or given incorrectly because the nurse doesnt believe the inmate knows the proper way to take their own meds. some meds need to be taken on empty stomachs or with full glasses of water to work properly or else it is as if they are not being taken. i had a doctor send an inmates medicine info including proper directions for taking it to the nurse. because she was proven wrong she has given that particular inmate nothing but trouble. when he got a horrible rash and open oozing spots from the jail deodorant she told him to use better hygiene. a guard told him he could get some he wasnt allergic to and the nurse REFUSED to get him any. none of my issues are with guards, just that “nurse” >

By: Red

Red — Wed, 04 May 2011 02:40:42 +0000

Don’t forget Religion!

By: Without_doubt

Without_doubt — Wed, 04 May 2011 00:50:00 +0000

as a former guard I have found that once criminals become inmates they become very interested in:

1. All their medical needs
2. Seeing a dentist
3. Getting their GED

GED is nice but it just means fours hours outside the cell.

By: Melsays

Melsays — Tue, 03 May 2011 18:16:13 +0000

Once again Red…well said!!!

By: Red

Red — Mon, 02 May 2011 16:17:01 +0000

I don’t recall anyone saying that the nurse was adequate. BUT, if you read state law, it provides for RN’s to make those calls. Is it right? NO. But it is the law. As far as putting her out to pasture years ago, talk to Dr. Portman or the late Honorable James Jansen. She was JJ’s sister-in-law. Here’s what it boils down to…if you want your meds, stay out of jail. Find new friends or whatever it takes. If you are in need of medical care so bad, focus on getting better and less on making your friends happy. How many people go to the jail, and are doc shopping? How does the nurse determine who needs pain meds and who doesn’t? Her job is also to make sure that the jail isn’t full of drug addicts that just want to sit around and get their narcotics. If I was the nurse, (and I thank God I am not) I would feel the same way. Do you know the lengths that drug addicts will go to to make sure they get their fix? A few nights in the county jail is like a vacation. This entire complaint is akin to going to a Muslim prayer house and complaining that there aren’t any crucifixes! Does anybody really know what they are talking about? Doesn’t anyone know how to use the Legislative Reference Bureau’s website? What are you going to think when the meals are cut to two a day? Is there going to be some sort of uprising? I think not. The people who complain about these things are the ones that spend more time in jail than they do in the streets, and think their every need and whim should be catered to. I will say it one more time for those who don’t seem to get it….want your medications? STAY OUT OF THE JAIL, and you won’t have those things to worry about anymore. I have spent enough time in jail to know how it works. Probably more time than you. Not a badge of honor by any means, but when I realized finally that everything about my life was now at the mercy of someone who didn’t know anything about me, it provided motive for change. I agree that it is wrong to withhold meds. Especially potential life saving medications. But I also know from experience that most of the medications that are denied are not life and death medications. Did you also know that the county jail (at it’s discretion) can charge up to $20 daily to be incarcerated? Did you also know that Langlade County used to charge that $20? They don’t anymore, probably because someone saw that there was no point in kicking a guy while he is in jail. Pain meds?? C’mon…really? I have seen people snort those anti-seizure meds, ( I cannot address the pregnancy meds), and I think you would be surprised how many of the medications prescribed have the potential for abuse. Remember, when you go to jail, you automatically lose credibility. How many people live in Antigo can say that they were HONESTLY wrongfully incarcerated? Not many. Chances are you had something to do with the crime. Even if it is only the knowledge that the crime was committed. Just some thoughts, and I would suggest looking at the LRB’s website to research current legislation. I will probably be called everything but white with this post, but reality sucks…even when life is good sometimes.

By: flyonthewall

flyonthewall — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 04:15:33 +0000

i usually don’t comment on these but I could not resist this one. i have known several people to have their meds kept from them in Langlade Jail. I’m not even talking about narcotics. i’m talking about anti-seizure meds, thyroid meds, and in one case the medication that kept a woman from going into premature labor.the fact is, that useless “nurse”up there thinks she is a doctor when she should have been put out to pasture YEARS ago. she argues with inmates about how to take their meds, I don’t care if someone IS in jail. most people with health problems ARE aware of proper med procedures, and to have some woman with NO access to your medical records act like she is your doctor now, and she is going to change EVERYTHING is a problem. she sits in on doctor visits with inmates and makes sure they DON’T get PROPER care, or have a chance to ask an actual M.D. any questions that might get a different answer than the one SHE WANTS!

By: Melsays

Melsays — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 14:59:39 +0000

Well said Red!!

By: moving forward

moving forward — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 03:20:19 +0000

Very well said

By: Red

Red — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 15:30:33 +0000

It was bound to happen…somebody in Antigo thinks they have a “right” to their pain medications. Sorry, read Section 1983 of Title 42 of the United States Code. In case you don’t read it, USC 1983 allows people to sue in federal court when their rights have been violated by a state or federal government official. Usually this code is cited in prisoner maltreatment cases. OK, history lesson is over..now to the facts. Let me be clear, I have done my share of sitting in a jail cell. I screwed up. I have been to prison, and medications were required. I have sat in the Langlade County jail with a tooth so abscessed that the side of my head swelled to the point of disfigurement, and couldn’t eat. It was obvious to me and the nurse, that the tooth had to be pulled. What did they tell me? Forget it, you are going to prison soon, and we cannot afford to have your tooth pulled. Did I walk back to my cell and b*tch about how good I should be treated while in jail? NO. I walked back to my cell and reflected on the stupid crap I have done in my life to get me to this point.
On to the medications thing. You have NO right to live pain free. Nowhere in our constitution does it guarantee a pain-free life. In fact, prisoners are generally regarded as hypochondriacs, and the level of abuse for medications of all ailments in the jail system is disturbing. Inmates are watched to make sure they take their meds and not “cheek” them, but that doesn’t stop the inmates from doing it anyway. Inmates die all the time from drug overdoses while in jail or prison. It happened not too long ago in the Marathon County jail. An inmate cheeked his Adderol then gave it to another inmate that was taking an inhaled corticosteroid. The results? DEATH. Was the other inmate charged? NO. Is this point irrelevant? No, it shows a single reason for not wanting to pass out narcotic pain medications. Even though this case did not involve narcotics, the type of medication is moot. In Marathon County jail, you cannot even receive Cymbalta. Why? The cost. If the jail starts you on your meds, you will remain on them. If you just come in with a pill bottle and expect to be given pain meds, you are sadly mistaken.
What does this boil down to…you do not have a right to receive pain medications. In a publication put out by The Center for Constitutional Rights, and the National Lawyers Guild, it states ” You can challenge prison conditions that deprive you of a ‘BASIC HUMAN NEED,’ such as shelter, food, exercise, clothing, sanitation, and hygiene. HOWEVER, the standard for unconstitutional conditions is high–courts allow conditions that are ‘restrictive and even harsh.’ Rhodes v. Chapman, 452 U.S. 337, 346 (1981). You MUST have evidence of conditions that are serious and extreme and cause more injury than discomfort alone.”
The federal government provides for states to determine inmates medical needs. If you look around at other counties, and their policies, you will find that Langlade County jail is the Radisson of county jails.
In the same publication, it states: ” Unfortunately, the 8th amendment does not guarantee you the same level of medical care you might chose if you were not in prison.” You need to show that their deliberate indifference caused your injury.
The bottom line is this; you may or may not be guilty of the crime you were accused of when you were incarcerated. BUT, as a person who once had that frame of mind, I will say that only rarely have I seen a person locked up that didn’t have something to do with that particular crime. The police, (especially in Antigo) have better things to do with their time than chase imaginary suspects. With that being said I will say this… Is there a problem in jails and prisons with meds being abused by the inmates and employees? Most definitely. Nobody is immune from the perils of drug use. Antigo is a prime example of that. IF YOU WANT TO AVOID THAT SITUATION IN THE FUTURE, FIND NEW FRIENDS (THAT STATEMENT IS BASED ON THE ASSUMPTION YOU HAVEN’T DONE ANYTHING WRONG TO BE IN JAIL). I do not believe in pain that is so severe that you cannot function without narcotics, unless you are wheelchair bound or something to that effect. If you can walk and work, suck it up dude. Buy some Tylenol, or maybe some Midol for those nasty cramps.
On a final note, here’s a piece of advice: when you pitch a b*tch about maltreatment in our jails, be absolutely sure that you are pitching a valid b*tch or you just sound like another whiner that wants his fix…