Is there dialysis in prison????

[gothiclovemonkey]

Is there??? I really think there probably is... How would it work? LOL
Not that I plan on going...
Just had a random thought this evening, if i went insane and decided to beat the crap out of someone for being a whole new breed of stupid, and had to be imprisioned, woud i get dialysis? LOL




Edited: Moved to proper section - okarol/admin

[boswife]

sorry, but ya made me laugh..  I would guess there would have to be and they'ed have to transfer ya somewhere???  Hum, wonder who will be able to answer this one..lol

[greg10]

Yes, there is dialysis in prison, at least in the US.
I never thought I would be quoting from prisontalk.com, but here goes:
"In 32 years of critical care nursing in the hospital that had the contract for dialysis patients, and all inmates for the state, I have never had one problem with any inmate - ever!"

http://mail.prisontalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=387370

[ChickenLittle56]

Here in town they bring the prisoner to the clinic, I've seen it done about 3 yimes, They have him shackled up and they have a strict silence zone around him. Also there are 2 guards keeping an eye on him. In a way I would feel sorry for him because he may have neighbors that are having treatment at the same time also that are thnking what caused him to be in this situation..

[jbeany]

One of my fellow patients was on house arrest because the local court system refused to pay all the extra for transport, overtime for guards, etc.  He could only leave the house for dialysis and doc appointments, with very strict return times enforced.  They had automated call times set into the computer check-in system.  I think if he was late because of problems with the machines or anything with his treatment, the nurse had to sign a release form for his parole officer.

[Jean]

Why, yes, they do. And, not only that, they also get put on to the transplant list and get new kidneys sometimes too.

[cariad]

Well, prison should not be a death sentence (OK, unless you're on death row, but that's a separate issue).

Robert Downey Jr was released from prison to take an acting job, for chrissake, those of us who are not as well connected and fabulously rich at least deserve to get a treatment that few people would wish on anyone.

[jbeany]

Why, yes, they do. And, not only that, they also get put on to the transplant list and get new kidneys sometimes too.

Well, prison should not be a death sentence (OK, unless you're on death row, but that's a separate issue).

Robert Downey Jr was released from prison to take an acting job, for chrissake, those of us who are not as well connected and fabulously rich at least deserve to get a treatment that few people would wish on anyone.

Refusing live saving treatment surely counts as cruel and unusual punishment.  Considering the estimated rate of wrongful convictions in this country, they darn well should at least provide dialysis! 

[gothiclovemonkey]

thank you lol
I was wondering! Now that i know though... LOL
No im a good girl darn it... but wow.... it amazes me the stupidity of some people....
too bad there isnt some personality dialysis, as mentioned in Wicked.....
Its a bit strange they do transplants, i wouldnt think a prison would be a safe, or clean enough place to have someone with a new transplant....

[Stoday]

Refusing live saving treatment surely counts as cruel and unusual punishment.

I think that hemodialysis is a cruel and unusual punishment.

[thegrammalady]

my neph had a partner in his practice a few years back whos previous practice had been with the colorado prision system. prisioners in shackles at dialysis centers are probably in city or county jails.

[okarol]

There are several related stories in the news section.
Here's one http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=14128.0
and another http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=6460.0

[KICKSTART]

Im not sure ,but i would think here in the UK someone would be in  Prison Hospital ?

[MooseMom]

Has a prisoner ever been given a new kidney only to be put back into prison?  I very much doubt it, but I'd be curious to know.  Can you just imagine the pre-eval appt with the social worker???

[cariad]

Has a prisoner ever been given a new kidney only to be put back into prison?  I very much doubt it, but I'd be curious to know.  Can you just imagine the pre-eval appt with the social worker???

You mean an ex-convict? I'm sure it's happened. They've given at least one transplant to a death row inmate, which struck me as pretty lame. I mean, really, make up your mind!

Still, I would rather see a few cases that make me uncomfortable than see the US regress to judging whether each individual is worthy. I've often remarked to Gwyn that I can only imagine that those prison evals make the inmate feel as if he is on trial all over again. 

[MooseMom]

No, I mean have they given a new kidney to someone who has been sentenced to, say, 20 years...has an inmate who has served only 5 years and still has 15 to go been given a new kidney?  If dialysis is an option, would prison officials just say, "Well, Prisoner X can just have dialysis to keep him alive."?  I agree that it makes me uncomfortable to think of anyone getting to decide if someone else is worthy of a transplant, but I wonder if that's exactly what happens. The death penalty makes me uncomfortable, but it is still imposed.   Are imprisoned inmates listed like anyone else would be?  I have no idea; I've never though about it before!  And what was the reasoning behind giving a transplant to a death row inmate?  Was it a kidney transplant or was it a different organ?  Does it make a difference (in that there is the dialysis option for renal patients but no such thing as "cardiac dialysis").

Interesting questions!

[RenalSurvivorDotCA]

The way I understand it, is yes, they do dialysis on "guests" of the state. What I also heard is that they will do all they can to get said prisoner transplanted simply because it costs more to transport him to and from dialysis and to have two guards to watch him while there. It would be cheaper (for the state) to transplant hm a kidney and then put him in regular prison.

I did see some internet article that basically said if you are a dialysis patient and want a transplant...go commit a felony and get arrested. They will get you transplanted and then when you're done serving your time, you will be free and will have a kidney. Course, you will also have a criminal record.

[greg10]

The way I understand it, is yes, they do dialysis on "guests" of the state. What I also heard is that they will do all they can to get said prisoner transplanted simply because it costs more to transport him to and from dialysis and to have two guards to watch him while there. It would be cheaper (for the state) to transplant hm a kidney and then put him in regular prison.

I did see some internet article that basically said if you are a dialysis patient and want a transplant...go commit a felony and get arrested. They will get you transplanted and then when you're done serving your time, you will be free and will have a kidney. Course, you will also have a criminal record.

One should not believe everything one reads on the internet.  The Federal Bureau of Prisons has a blanket policy of denying transplantations while allowing the necessary care and testing for transplantation of the prisoner to go forward.  That sounds confusing, but the result is that the FBP will be in compliance with the Eight Amendment of the constitution while legally preventing the prisoner's transplantation to go forward.
http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-8th-circuit/1493413.html

This is an action under 28 U.S.C. § 2241, brought by Charles Lee Clark, a federal prisoner.1  Mr. Clark claims that the prison officials who are defendants are violating his rights under the Eighth Amendment through their deliberate indifference to his serious medical needs.   In particular, he asserts that he suffers from a disease known as chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), that the appropriate treatment is an autologous bone marrow transplant (ABMT), and that the defendants are refusing, without good reason, to afford him this treatment.

The District Court dismissed the complaint, and we affirm.   The reasons may be briefly stated.   During the pendency of this appeal, Mr. Clark, who remains in federal custody, has in fact been allowed to take a step towards the ABMT. Cells from his bone marrow have been harvested and stored in a freezer.   These cells will be available when and if Mr. Clark's condition takes a turn for the worse, and the need for the transplant arises.   In the meantime, he appears to be receiving appropriate treatment.

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:OsMxAJejKVEJ:www.law.uh.edu/hjhlp/Issues/Vol_91/Winslade.pdf+Barron+v.+Keohane,+216+F.3d+692+(8th+Cir.+2000)%3B+Clark+v.+Hedrick,&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjyIkT2eSth9aDXSpn3HCdMBFE4hALSVIxf30BDcKVtksT8LexBJHoFUwC6Qr5utcVj-Ysv897UF_FYLa2CxPGkq1CZ-QPIvzLLQjaMcbpTm_bVe7s6IzjlnpwfpM-dLbp8y_9R&sig=AHIEtbToqzLnPlF0ON6YyXoEe1rOTu8XqQ

OFFENDER ORGAN TRANSPLANTS: LAW, ETHICS, ECONOMICS, AND HEALTH POLICY

In Trigo v. Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the offender was
denied treatment for hepatitis C because eligibility for treatment was
based on being in prison a set number of months and on the amount
of time remaining on the offender’s sentence rather than on the
offender’s medical needs.55 The court found that there was sufficient
evidence of deliberate indifference to allow the case to go to trial.56 In
two cases involving the Federal Bureau of Prisons, another federal
appellate court warned that the bureau’s blanket policy of denying
transplants may violate offender’s Eighth Amendment rights.57 These
cases are significant because they may indicate a shift in courts’
interpretations of the importance of prison interests when weighed
against offenders’ healthcare needs. Many prison systems currently
have policies or practices that operate to deny offenders publicly
funded organ transplants. Further litigation may necessitate
meaningful changes in policies and practices.

[Poppylicious]

Im not sure ,but i would think here in the UK someone would be in  Prison Hospital ?

Blokey has seen a prisoner receive dialysis at his hospital unit; he's seen him a couple of times but only when he's been on an earlier shift.  He assumes he recieves dialysis at the hospital regularly because he's seen him more than once.

[KICKSTART]

Yeah while ive been hanging around ive seen them bring prisoners into A&E etc , but never onto a dialysis unit ..or at a clinic for that matter !       

[kamar55]

Yes...One of my dialysis nurses used to work part time in the state prison giving them dialysis. Also one of the regular patients in my center was in city jail once and they transferred her in handcuffs to our site accompanied by 2 guards who sat next to her during treatment.

[texasstyle]

I just have a little input here. I kinda figure there's a possibilty that if someone where charged with say a non voilent type crime and the sentence was to be short, the courts might just give them probation because the cost of dialysis is CRAZYYY as  you know. Hm...

[Nephrologista]

I just have a little input here. I kinda figure there's a possibilty that if someone where charged with say a non voilent type crime and the sentence was to be short, the courts might just give them probation because the cost of dialysis is CRAZYYY as  you know. Hm...

Not just non-violent crime, actually.  I have seen patients get suspended sentences for assault, because the prison did not want to deal with the financial and logistic hassle that a prisoner on dialysis presents.  I have also heard of transplant patients who lost their kidneys while in prison because they weren't given their meds properly, so I guess it goes both ways.

[paris]

Who is suspending the sentences?  Doesn't it have to go in front of a judge?  Is this after they are in prison or before, during sentencing?   At our major hospital that deals with indigents and prisoners,  there are always prisoners in the dialysis wing;with handcuffs and a guard.   My daughter in law is a labor and delivery nurse in the same hospital and she delivers prisoners all the time.  They come with guards and are cuffed to the bed.  She says it is a very sad time for everyone in the room.     Prisons aren't aloud to withhold medications; wouldn't that be the same as just letting a prisoner die without giving them medical treatment?  We have too many laws for peoples rights to let that happen.  If it did, I hope the family sued.   I would like to see documentation or read reports about that.    Interesting subject.

[Nephrologista]

The county judge knows the sheriff and knows the prison budget.  These are not federal crimes we're talking about.  The cases I have seen have been plea bargains, so they are in jail before the plea, and then released.  While they're in jail, they come to the unit with guard and in handcuffs.  The hospital has had repeated problems with the jail granting "medical furloughs" when these patients are hospitalized - the guards leave, and the hospital isn't quite sure what to do with them once they're ready for discharge.   The economy is bad and one dialysis prisoner can wreck the whole budget, apparently.  Presumably if it were a murder case, they wouldn't be so lax.

And prisoner have rights to medical treatment, but the medical care in many prisons isn't great.  Good luck getting a renal diet.  And it doesn't take much to mess up a transplant - one or two days off medications while the jail tries to get Prograf in stock is enough to do it.  I'm sorry I can't link to any reports for you.  I have read enough  notes from prison clinics to not have a whole lot of faith in their care - again, these are small jails, not large urban areas.