Imprisoned woman gives birth alone, says public defender

A woman imprisoned and pregnant with mental illness was forced to give birth to her child alone in an "isolation cell" last month, while correctional officers were unaware of her calls for help, the county public defender said. from Broward on Friday.

In a letter to sheriff Gregory Tony of Broward, public defender Howard Finkelstein wrote that North Broward Bureau inmate Tammy Jackson had started complaining to her contraction staff at 10:16 am on the morning of April 10. herself holding her newborn daughter.

"She was forced to give birth to her baby alone," Finkelstein wrote in a two-page letter also calling for a re-examination of the detention policy.

The Broward sheriff's office reports that it learned the incident two days later and immediately launched an internal affairs investigation.

In an email, Gina Carter, spokesperson for the OSF, said, "A medical team from Well Path, consisting of a doctor and two nurses, has been busy with the mother and of the child. The Child Protection Investigation Section has been informed and the baby has been placed with an appropriate care provider. "

According to Finkelstein, the prison staff and medical staff knew that Jackson was full term and about to give birth, when she was detained on March 27th. The prison staff members, described by BSO's website, are "a minimum-medium security detention facility," were also aware of his mental illness.

Finkelstein said that two weeks later, shortly after 3 am, she started complaining about contractions and asked for help. However, according to Finkelstein, instead of transporting her to a hospital, staff tried to reach a doctor on call. Finkelstein said at 7:22 this morning the doctor had told him that he was about to leave. Then at 9 o'clock, about an hour before delivery, the woman stated that she was bleeding and that she was still alone in her cell.

Jackson is still in the custody of the Broward sheriff's office, but is currently in the convalescent hospital, said deputy head of Public Defender Gordon Weekes, who also signed the letter to Sheriff Tony. Weekes could not provide details on the condition of the baby.

"Just imagine living the trauma of childbirth, scream for help, people are within earshot and no one will help you from 4 am when the contractions will start, up to # 39 at 10 o'clock, "said Weekes. "Knowing that people are within earshot."

Jackson, 34, was arrested by BSO at the end of March. According to the records of the Clerk of the Broward County Court, she was arrested in January on charges of possession of cocaine and released, but failed to attend pre-trial services, an arrest warrant was issued. against her. She was also charged with trespassing, sleeping on a public street and possession of drugs.

Since the day of his arrest, Finkelstein said, Broward's sheriff's office was aware of her pregnancy. She was placed in an infirmary so that her medical problems could be monitored, according to the public defender. "Not only has Ms. Jackson's health been carelessly ignored, but her child's life has also been critically endangered," Finkelstein wrote.

Jackson was assessed at the end of last month, according to the court record in his case. Weekes declined to detail Jackson's mental illness, but called it "significant."

In his letter, Finkelstein requested an immediate review of medical practices and isolation in all Broward County detention centers.

"It is unacceptable that a woman, especially a woman suffering from mental illness, is left in her cell to give birth to her own baby," the defender wrote. "Your staff did not protect Ms. Jackson or her child. Despite their carelessness and ruthless indifference, Ms. Jackson and her child survived. It remains to be seen how this gross negligence will affect Ms. Jackson's already fragile mental health. "