Imprisoned Women Denied Medical Care

A recent report shows that Los Angeles County jails that house female inmates are not only not adhering to statewide standards for medical care, but appear to be ignoring certain laws. Specifically, laws that regulate what can and can't be done when a female inmate is giving birth; such as shackling her legs:

...the department has no policy forbidding the shackling of a female inmate during childbirth even though state law prohibits it.

Although deputies told Bobb's staff that they generally don't shackle women giving birth, a county hospital delivery nurse said "leg chains, which are heavy but long enough to allow the inmate to get to the bathroom, are often present during childbirth," the report stated. - Los Angeles Times

The report showed that women were not receiving care within the standard 24 hours of requesting it, which can be blamed at least in part on a shortage of medical staff (surprise surprise). The Los Angeles Times continues:

...some women with conditions such as passing blood clots, hives and yeast infections waited days, weeks and even months before receiving treatment. In some cases, the inmates were released from custody without getting help.

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