Deaths at a Prison Hospital Lead to Inquiries
7-19-1987 Massachusetts:
A series of deaths at the Bridgewater State Hospital for the Criminally Insane has touched off a dispute in which correction officials, guards and relatives of inmates are trading accusations.
A series of deaths at the Bridgewater State Hospital for the Criminally Insane has touched off a dispute in which correction officials, guards and relatives of inmates are trading accusations.
At least eight unexplained deaths have occurred in the last 18 months, including five since March. Four of the deaths are being treated as possible suicides.
''I cannot remember such a large number of unexplained, unnatural deaths here,'' said Philip W. Johnston, the state secretary of human services.
There is much disagreement over what should be done about Bridgewater. There is little disagreement that, with 434 men, it is too crowded, that it is understaffed and that the care it provides must be improved. These concerns, and others, will be addressed next Thursday in Suffolk Superior Court, when a group of inmates will request, through their lawyer, an injunction aimed at effecting change. Both Prison and Hospital
Meanwhile, Mr. Johnston's office is investigating the apparent suicides and holding a separate inquiry to determine whether there should be some basic policy changes at Bridgewater.
A major issue, he said, is whether the Department of Corrections should run a mental hospital in which most staff are prison guards, or whether the facility should be under control of the Department of Mental Health.
In reality, Bridgewater is both prison and hospital. About 55 percent of those admitted have been convicted of crimes but, for various reasons, do not fit into the normal prison population.
Of the 45 percent who have not been convicted of a crime, some were acquitted by reason of insanity and some are simply awaiting hearings to determine their competence to stand trial. Report on Death Released
Three daily shifts at Bridgewater are covered by 186 guards, 9 psychiatrists, 10 psychologists, 28 nurses and a social worker, said the Commissioner of Corrections, Michael Fair. The clinical budget is $3.8 million, he said.
Last week, Mr. Johnston's office released a preliminary report on the death April 14 of Edward Roake, a 55-year-old inmate who was in solitary confinement with his arms in restraints when he choked on an eyeglass lens and a piece of material in his throat.
Though Mr. Johnston has conceded that Bridgewater is understaffed, he said Mr. Roake's apparent suicide resulted from the negligence of three guards and a supervisor. 'Shared Blame' for Tragedy
''It was shared blame,'' said Kenneth B. Schwartz, general counsel for the Office of Human Services, who is in charge of investigating Mr. Roake's death.
The union representing guards blames the death of Mr. Roake and others on understaffing. Union officials say guards have filed more than two dozen grievances about understaffing, inadequate training and poor monitoring of inmates since last August.
The current investigations were begun in April after The Boston Globe reported on the deaths.
Dr. Wesley Profit, director of forensic services at Bridgewater, headed a study group that recommended seven weeks ago that the clinical staff be doubled, the number of nurses quadrupled, and the clinical budget increased to $20 million.
The panel said 33 mental health workers should be added to do much of the work now done by guards.
Meanwhile, the depths of bitterness surrounding Bridgewater, if difficult to gauge, are nevertheless obvious.
Said Linda Diaz, whose 28-year-old brother Joseph died at Bridgewater in April, apparently a suicide from a Tylenol overdose: ''This is a prison, not a hospital. It's surrounded by barbed wire, and you go through metal detectors when you visit.''
And Steven Schwartz, the lawyer for a 62-year-old inmate who choked to death on a hot dog last November, said, ''Bridgewater is a secret tunnel people can drop into.'' ..more.. by NY Times
