“…and the baby dropped to the floor before someone arrived to help…”

[Lobster Martini]

(All emphasis is mine.)

Shakira Staten, 22, of Chambersburg, remained at the Lackawanna County Prison for four hours July 10 before giving birth in a cell, her lawyer said.

<snip>

Ms. Staten’s lawyer and her grandmother say she pleaded to be taken to the hospital because she was in labor, but she was repeatedly ignored. Ms. Staten was not monitored, was alone when the baby was born and the baby dropped to the floor before someone arrived to help, her lawyer, Nicholas Fick, said.

<snip>

At a news conference Tuesday, Warden Janine Donate commended her staff for reacting “fantastically” and “doing a great job.” (Lobster Martini's note: today's "You're doing a heckuva job, Brownie!" award goes to Warden Janine Donate.)

<snip>

Efforts to reach Dr. Zaloga were unsuccessful. (Lobster Martini’s note: Dr. Edward Zaloga, is the county’s chief medical director and also, according to this article, co-owner of Correctional Care Inc., the company that provides medical services to the county. Hmmm...)

County prisons are required to report extraordinary incidents to the Department of Corrections, but Ms. McNaughton, the department’s spokeswoman, said the department has no authority to investigate.

(Link: http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18609048&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=415898&rfi=6)

Background—this is from August 2003:

Scandal tarnishes Lackawanna County Prison

The warden has admitted using inmates to work on his house, a Pennsylvania grand jury is investigating accusations of drug dealing by prison guards, and three separate lawsuits allege a culture of physical abuse and intimidation at Lackawanna County Prison.

<snip>

The prison is...defending itself against a trio of federal lawsuits, including one alleging that two guards killed an inmate and that county and prison officials helped cover it up. Prison officials have said the inmate, Samuel Swan, committed suicide in August 2001 by hanging himself with his shoelaces.

<snip>

"Our facilities are secure, they are clean, they're sanitary, there are no escapes, there are no riots, there is no ongoing violence," (county spokesman Bill Risse) said.

Interim warden James Wynder Jr. did not return a message seeking comment Friday. (Lobster Martini's note: guess he was "unavailable.")

(Link: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10052791&BRD=2212&PAG=461&dept_id=465812&rfi=6)

Back to the first article:

Tarnished in 2003 by revelations of scandal and mistreatment of inmates over a period of years, the prison was in 100 percent compliance with state guidelines in an inspection earlier this year. As a result, it won’t face another review until 2009.

[radfringe]

1. this story is where I live

the "official" version is that she was observed in a camera cell, meaning she was being watched via camera/tv connection and there were periodic physical checks on the mother. The "official" stated that medical staff was there for the birth, and worked to revive the baby, after which the mother and baby were sent to the hospital.

other versions state the medical staff were not present until they noticed the baby wasn't breathing

regarding the "camera cell" - no video recording equipment, so there is no video to replay

afternoon talk show on the radio was addressing this issue on Wednesday - one caller said "prisoners do not deserve special treatment". Excuse me? medical attention is special treatment? regardless of how you feel on medical treatment for those in prison, the baby didn't commit any crime... I keep flashing back on the Simpson Character "Won't somebody please think of the children"

other callers went on to recite stories of women giving birth at home or in a car or a rice paddy without medical staff present... :eyes:

I'm surprised (well maybe not) that the right-to-lifers aren't up in arms about this - imagine the outcry should a prison system inact mandatory abortions to prevent babies from being born in a cell..

[Mythsaje]

2. Just a guess, but was she white? n/t

[RC]

3. I'll bet she wasn't blonde either.

[Lobster Martini]

4. That's probably not the main issue

This is a guess, but I'd wager that Correctional Care Inc. receives a set fee from the county and makes the most profit by providing the least care, and since its co-owner is also the county's chief medical officer, the chief medical officer can set a low standard of care, Correctional Care makes the lowest bid, wins the contract, and everyone is happy as long as no one actually gets to see a doctor.

(Note to lawyers: nothing in this post reflects the opinion of anyone, including me. Do not sue. I have no assets, and my dog was trained by Michael Vick.)

[radfringe]

5. here's another interesting tidbit

local show interviewed one of the medical staff supervisors the other day

she was asked if anyone tried to call an ambulance

no, because the phone system has firewalls/blocks on it to prevent out-going call abuse, security reasons....

[radfringe]

6. local news story link/excerpt

Inmate Sues County over Jail Birth
http://www.wnep.com/Global/story.asp?S=6802667&nav=5ka4


Tuesday, July 17, 5:46 p.m.
By Josh Brogadir

An inmate at the Lackawanna County prison is suing the county. She claims she went into labor inside the prison, had her baby in a cell and was taken to the hospital only after she delivered.

----------snip

One week ago Staten went into labor and had a baby girl while in jail. She claims she did not get any medical care.

Speaking at a news conference, county commissioner A.J. Munchak, who oversees the prison, said she did and prison officials did all they could do to help.

"There was no breach of security. There was no threat to any other inmate. There was no threat to any correctional officer. Nothing was done wrong," Munchak said.

Staten disagrees. Through her attorney, Nick Fick, she said she told a prison nurse she was going into labor. She said the nurse told her she wasn't.

The inmate was then allegedly sent to a room to be monitored on a camera. She said four, excruciating hours later she gave birth to the baby while she was alone, lying on the floor of a cell.

"The baby fell on the floor. From what I understand at this point, the baby was not breathing when it was born. The baby was resuscitated apparently by county prison officials," Fick said.

At that point, Staten was taken to a hospital.

[Rosemary2205]

7. And why do we bitch about other country's prisons again?

Americans keep talking about how awful chinese/mexican/saudi/iranian/// prisons are. Ours are BARELY better at best and about the same at worst.