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Benign Neglect or Neglected Abuse: Drug and Alcohol Withdrawal in U.S. Jails

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2021

Kevin Fiscella ,
Naomi Pless ,
Sean Meldrum  and
Paul Fiscella
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Extract

Two days following her arrest, a forty-four-year-old woman died in jail from aspiration pneumonia secondary to Untreated opiate withdrawal. The New York State Commission of Corrections concluded in its final report that had adequate medical evaluation and treatment been afforded, her death would have been prevented.

A forty-six-year-old male with a history of alcohol dependence was arrested for trespassing and held in the county jail. Three days later he became agitated and aggressive. Following physician orders, deputies placed him in restraints. He subsequently vomited and seized. Fifteen minutes later, he experienced respiratory arrest and died.

These cases highlight a serious, but neglected problem in jails across the country: inadequate assessment and treatment of drug and alcohol withdrawal among arrestees. In this article, we show that untreated drug or alcohol withdrawal is associated with adverse outcomes including needless pain and suffering, medical morbidity, and in some instances, death.

Type
Article
Information
Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics , Volume 32 , Issue 1 , Spring 2004 , pp. 129 - 136
Copyright
Copyright © American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics 2004

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