A pregnant inmate came to term in jail. Lawyers say she was forced to give birth there -- alone.

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Washington Post

A pregnant inmate came to term in jail. Lawyers say she was forced to give birth there — alone.
Deanna Paul 6 hrs ago

Tammy Jackson was ushered into an empty jail cell by sheriffs. Then one morning, she was there with someone else: her newborn baby.

According to a letter dated May 3, written by Broward County public defender Howard Finkelstein, the full-term 34-year-old with a mental illness began complaining to officers about contractions around 3 a.m., April 10, the Miami Herald first reported.

More than four hours later, members of the sheriff’s office spoke to the on-call doctor, who said "he would check when he arrived,” according to Finkelstein. And when the physician clocked in, he did.

That was around 10 a.m.

For the seven preceding hours, Jackson was locked in a jail cell, alone. She was bleeding, in labor, and then forced to birth her baby on her own — conduct which Finkelstein called “outrageous” and “inhumane” treatment.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/a-pregnant-inmate-came-to-term-in-jail-lawyers-say-she-was-forced-to-give-birth-there-%E2%80%94-alone/ar-AAATLIj?li=BBnb7Kz

[TheBlackAdder]

1. Ah, they seem to be Pro-Lifers. Worried that the infant will survive delivery.

[rusty quoin]

2. This cruelty has got to stop.

[susanna]

3. This is horrific. That is all I can say. No words. n/t

[UpInArms]

4. I guess that women don't need doctors

They just need to remember they are like cattle ...

Their value as humans has been stripped by religious zealots who think their god has replaced science and medicine

[SergeStorms]

14. Isn't that part of the GOP platform?

"They just need to remember they are like cattle". Yeah, that's definitely part of the GOP platform for the presidency. Women are chattel, like land, ATVs, Motor Homes, Humvees, and all the other wonderful things that republicans believe are the cornerstone of American society.

I loathe these people.

[safeinOhio]

5. More and more, I wish I had

kept up my law career. Open and shut Civil Law suit. Only question would be how large the amount will be.

[secondwind]

6. Omg!!! What a horror. Seven hours alone in a cell.

That poor child, wet, uncleansed, OMG.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

8. WHY WAS SHE ARRESTED.

[Polybius]

10. The article didn't say

It did say that she was arrested a month earlier than the incident. So she's been in there for a month.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

11. I know. I read the whole thing twice and am angry the reporter accepted as a given that this

person with mental health issues was being held in a prison without digging into why.

[Jake Stern]

15. From the Miami Herald story it seems she was held on basically a Failure to Appear warrant

She didn't appear at some sort of pre-trial hearing.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

16. Well, that's fucking garbage.

[Jake Stern]

17. Totally agree!

[Jedi Guy]

21. Why is it garbage, exactly? The treatment she received in the jail is horrific and inexcusable.

But it's a separate issue from the reason she was in jail to begin with. If she was arrested for Failure to Appear, it stands to reason that she was out on bond or released on her own recognizance on the original charge(s). If there were a reason for her absence from the hearing, one would think her attorney would have communicated that to the court.

If someone has a court hearing and they just don't show up, there should be repercussions for that decision. Otherwise, why would anyone ever bother to show up for their court hearings?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

23. A system designed to punish a mentally ill person managing her demons with the resources she has is

garbage.

[Jedi Guy]

25. I really don't think that's the intent of the system.

I think the intent is to allow some people to stay out of jail while their cases are adjudicated, provided they follow certain rules. If they choose not to follow those rules, there's a consequence for that decision. That seems pretty reasonable to me.

[LanternWaste]

32. It's fun to pretend 'all other things being equal' is the default status.

'It ain't what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain’t so.'

[Jedi Guy]

33. Ahhh, there we go. There's the shrug emoji, that's more like it.

What you wrote here has absolutely nothing to do with what I posted. I was commenting on the intent of the court system regarding failure to appear warrants, which surely isn't to abuse the mentally ill.

But you knew that, of course.

[ROB-ROX]

9. SUE THE BASTARDS AND SEND THE TURDS TO PRISON

I think these cops are TRAINED monkeys who may know basic first aid and how to kill people. The cop's job of CARING for people goes beyond carrying keys to cells. When this event is in court it will be determined that every person involved with this organization should be IMPRISONED and FIRED for lack of intelligence required to do the basic job they were hired to do. This lady and her baby should become independently RICH from the funds they collect after the trial. This county should be SHAMED for their collective incompetence when abusing the LAW......

[WhiskeyGrinder]

12. It's is not a cop's job to care.

[susanr516]

20. Don't know what the exact law would be in FL

In TX, abandoning/endangering a child is a 2nd degree felony, carries a 2-20 yr prison sentence and up to $10,000 fine. This same law also applies to the elderly and disabled, so that would be a second count for the mentally ill mother. The doctor should be investigated by the state medical board. If he was on-call, yet couldn't be reached for 4 hrs, I would think that's negligence on his part. I'm not a lawyer, but this sure seems to be criminal behavior on the part of the jail staff and the on-call MD.

[leanforward]

13. Someone(s) above have lost all sense of decency.

To me, heads need to roll. Did someone raise that she needs medical attention? Has the Sheriff trained his Deputies and COs in basic human decency?

What were they thinking?

[IcyPeas]

18. she was in for trespassing, drug possession (watch video within article)

This is barbaric treatment.

"It remains to be seen how this gross negligence will affect Ms. Jackson's already fragile mental health," Finkelstein wrote in a letter to Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony, demanding a review of the medical and isolation practices in all detention facilities.

Jackson, 34, and a mother of three who has struggled with drug addiction and homelessness, was being held for trespassing and drug possession charges.

Jackson’s mother, Shirley Nixon, who said her daughter suffers from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

At 3:16 a.m., the staff left a message for an on-call physician, who works for Wellpath, a contractor tasked with providing medical and behavioral healthcare services, according to Finkelstein's letter. They didn't speak to the physician until 7:22 a.m., and Jackson reported she was bleeding about 9 a.m., but remained isolated in her cell, Finkelstein said.

Other pregnant women, who were inmates when Jackson gave birth, said they heard her screams. Six hours and 54 minutes after Jackson asked for help, she gave birth to the baby.

https://www.local10.com/consumer/leave-it-to-layron/after-hours-in-labor-in-jail-cell-pregnant-inmate-gives-birth-alone-in-broward

[Ilsa]

19. She probably wasn't taking her meds during the pregnancy, either.

So her judgement, being bipolar and schizophrenic, are likely a major factor in her original alleged lawbreaking and failure to appear.

Everyone working at that jail should be charged with endangering the lives of the mother and baby.

[Honeycombe8]

22. She was taking "meds," all right. She'd been arrested for drug possession.

It's possible the baby was born with some problems from the drugs, which I assume she was taking. The woman has some serious problems.

Notwithstanding...how could they just leave her there, unattended, without insisting the doctor, or any doctor, come? The dr. is liable, too, for not coming when he was notified she was having contractions. Inhumane. I'm guessing that county is going to have to pay a lot of money for this, and some people are going to be fired. Blatant disregard to life, both hers and the baby's.

[Ilsa]

24. In for possession. Only tests will

determine if she was the one using.

Regardless, she deserves healthcare, even more help, given her multiple diagnoses, as does the baby.

I'm surprised that some of the trumpers running the joint, believing that trump never lies, didn't think they could swaddle the baby and then kill it the way moms and doctors do.

[Honeycombe8]

26. You carry small amounts for "possession" because you're a user.

You carry large amounts because you're a dealer...not necessarily a user. (Not that I know from firsthand experience. )

But yes, I can't image the jail deputies or staff just left her there like that, to suffer, and put her and the baby's life in danger. ESPECIALLY since there was a chance the baby would be born with a drug related issue.

I suspect this young woman won't have to worry about money in the future, thanks to the county's payment for what they did. What's sad about people with her issues is that if she gets money, she'll more than likely spend it right away...she has mental issues and no education to know about financial planning.

[Ilsa]

27. Perhaps a family member or the court can establish

Guardianship of her if she would consent to it, but I know it's tricky business, having been through it myself.

[IADEMO2004]

28. Why not 911 first?????????????? Four hours trying to contact on-call Dr.????????????

[ooky]

29. This level of depravity is unimaginable.

[LibFarmer]

30. This is so cruel

not just for the inmate but also for the baby which committed no crime

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

31. And to think that people are under the impression

that if you go to jail you get three square meals a day and free medical care.