A personal moral limit
Yesterday, I was talking to another nurse at the jail, and I asked her about treating inmates that have committed crimes that she found particularly reprehensible. She of course said that treating child molesters, especially incestuous child molesters, was difficult for her.
I started trying to think about what my limit would be. Of course, nobody likes a child molester, but I can distance myself from the reality of such a heinous crime since I was neither a victim as a child, nor do I have children now.
Would it be rapists? Because goddam I hate me some motherfucking rapists! Wifebeaters? As a former receiver of emotional and physical domestic abuse, I would think that would be it, but half of the guys in there have restraining orders against them and it hasn’t bothered me so far.
Then later, I was talking to another nurse who told of working a prison riot in a different state. I never realized how many times the most horrible details of crimes are not released to the public, and this prison riot was no exception. She told of what the inmates did to other prisoners. Horribly tragic. But then she told of what the rioting inmates did to the guards, and it was then I felt it. That overwhelming hate and anger towards a perpetrator of a crime that I couldn’t squelch or control.
That one thing I don’t think I could look past, even long enough to be professional for 30 seconds, is a crime against a law enforcement officer.
So I’ve discovered my own personal “hot button”, and it’s up to me to figure out how to get over it before I actually have to face an inmate who has raped, shot, or killed someone in law enforcement.
Don’t get me wrong… I would never withhold appropriate medical care from anybody.
But how do you treat an inmate professionally when the whole time you just want to scream at them: “I HOPE YOU ROT IN HELL, YOU MOTHERFUCKING PIECE OF SHIT THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABORTED!”
I soooo agree with. I work with law enforcement officers, and they are my second family. I couldn’t imagine someone harming them. If they do they would rot in hell!!!
Comment by jodi — Tuesday, July 19, 2005 @ 8:27 am
A friend of my parents was a nurse at Joliet Prison and took care of Richard Speck.I don’t know how y’all do it, but my hat is oof to everyone in law enforcement and the prison system.
Comment by mbruce — Tuesday, July 19, 2005 @ 11:13 am
This post was quite thought provoking to me. You can read guest posts I wrote on another blog, to get a better picture of why:
Post 1:
http://keeepinthefaith.blogspot.com/2005/07/pictures-of-little-girl.html
Post 2:
http://keeepinthefaith.blogspot.com/2005/07/little-girl-grew-up.html
So, I’m going to put my Hospice hat on and think about when I was in patient care. I would probably never know what these people have done in their past, but let’s assume I did.
I would have a VERY difficult time caring for a child molester. Especially incestuous. I don’t think that I could. I’d even go so far to imagine that I’d want them to suffer and that makes me sad that I have the capacity to feel that way.
I have ‘declined’ making a few calls in my current Hospice role because the social workers notes indicated that the spouse was abusive toward the patient throughout their marriage. I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to offer any care or consideration to that person, therefore I don’t make the call.
Same thing for affairs (been the ‘victim’ of that too). I can’t make those care calls either.
Yup. This post hit home. I cannot offer support or sympathy to someone who treats another with disregard. I realize that’s very judgmental and it’s not my place to judge. But I’m human.
Comment by RisibleGirl — Saturday, July 23, 2005 @ 11:08 am
Comment by drunkenlagomorph — Saturday, July 23, 2005 @ 11:13 am