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October 24, 2009
MA: Two suicides by women at Dartmouth House of Correction. One clings to life and the other dies.
Pair of suicide attempts raise questions about inmate care
By Jay Pateakos
Herald News Staff Reporter
Last update Oct 22, 2009 @ 11:50 PM
DARTMOUTH —
One Dartmouth House of Correction inmate was pronounced dead just before 5 p.m. Thursday and another clings to life after attempted suicides Tuesday morning. The deaths have some questioning the quality of mental health and medical care prisoners are receiving since a conversion to a new medical care company in July.
Candy-Lee Boisclair, 37, of Fall River, in prison since Oct. 18 for unarmed burglary, was found hanging in her cell by officers at approximately 11:30 a.m. Less than an hour later, Katrina Dumont, 21, of Swansea, and in prison since Oct. 5 for impersonating a police officer, was also found. Boisclair was pronounced dead Thursday at St. Luke’s Hospital and Dumont remains in critical condition.
Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson said Boisclair was put on an “eyeball” watch on Monday after officers were informed that she was in possession of a crack pipe and drugs hidden in a body cavity.
After giving up the pipe, Boisclair reported to doctors that she had just overdosed on Klonopins, but after meeting with a doctor, she was determined to not be under the influence of any drug. An hour later, she attempted to hang herself.
On Monday, Dumont scratched superficial wounds on her arms and was reported by correctional officers to the mental health unit of the prison. After a mental health review was held on Tuesday, Dumont was returned to the EA Unit, and like Boisclair an hour before her, hanged herself in her cell.
Hodgson said suicides in the jail are rare. He said in 12 years as sheriff he’s never seen two suicides come so close together.
“I’m sure it happens at other prisons, but it doesn’t happen here,” said Hodgson.
Hodgson said an internal investigation of the actions of his staff and medical personnel have showed that protocol was followed in the matters related to both inmates.
“Our medical unit has been accredited for the last 11 years, with the highest standards in the industry, and we felt they met the criteria for their evaluations and this was just something they just didn’t catch,” said Hodgson, of Dumont’s mental health review. “This is a very unusual situation and these are things that can happen.”
Correctional Psychiatric Services took over for longtime prison medical care company CMC after it was revealed that the Bristol County House of Correction owed the company $3.6 million.
The Pennsylvania-based CMC walked out on the prisons in mid-July. Hodgson said Correctional Psychiatric Services, which provides all the medical and mental health care to the prisoners, is doing a “great job” at keeping up with the medical care of the prisons.
The company’s contract is set to expire on Dec. 5.
Hodgson said a request for proposal has gone out for future medical services with the winning bidder, who will be announced in November, to take over Dec. 6.
While Hodgson defended his medical personnel, attorney James Pingeon, Massachusetts Correctional Legal Services Inc. director of litigation, painted a different picture of what he said is a rising concern of inadequacies in medical and mental care at the Dartmouth House of Correction.
“We have received several calls about the catastrophic, abysmal medical services going on at the jail, especially in mental health care,” said Pingeon. “We’ve been told that Boisclair had informed people that she intended to commit suicide hours before she died and that she was medically cleared and then went on to hang herself. The person doing the evaluation clearly failed, but it’s not surprising, because ever since they stopped paying their other medical company and went with a new one, we are hearing that they are not complying with standard medical practices.”
Pingeon said other complaints include that the mental health unit is backlogged and understaffed and that prisoners are not getting necessary medical treatment, something Hodgson vehemently denied.
“We have a strict grievance policy in the prison, and there has been no indications that there has been any complaints by inmates on their care,” said Hodgson. “There is no backlog or overstaffing in mental health. It is actually one of the most important parts of our operation, and nobody is more aware of that than we are.”
Pingeon, who said the state’s Correctional Legal Services Inc. has launched its own investigation into the matter, said he also has concerns with Hodgsons’s comments that an internal investigation into the two incidents has already been completed.
“There ought to be a serious investigation behind this, and whenever anyone tries to say that they have completed an investigation just a few hours after the incident occurred, I feel there’s a problem with that. It needs a more dedicated system,” said Pingeon. “The sheriff is saying his staff did what they were supposed to do, but you can’t know that that fast. He needs to be willing to step up and face the problems the jail has.”
http://www.heraldnews.com/news/local_news/x637610259/Pair-of-suicide-attempts-raise-questions-about-inmate-care?view=print
Posted by lois at October 24, 2009 09:55 PM