INMATE/PRISONER MEDICAL CARE

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Policy:

It is the policy of Iredell County EMS to provide appropriate medical treatment for subjects in the custody of law enforcement.

Purpose:

To assure that appropriate prehospital care is provided to subjects in the custody of law enforcement.

Procedure:

1.      If On-Scene with Law Enforcement in the Field:

• Confirm that the scene is secure and be aware of your surroundings.
• Assist with decontamination and provide medical care as indicated.
• Remain available for service unless it is necessary to transport the subject to the Emergency Department by ambulance.

2.      If On-Scene at the Iredell County Jail:

• In general, inmates will be brought out of the cellblock to the holding area. This may not always be possible if an inmate cannot be moved because the nature and/or severity of the illness or injury.

• Assist with decontamination and provide medical care as indicated.

• EMS personnel will be accompanied by Jail staff at all times and shall only enter secure areas.

3.      Custody And Consent To Treat:

• Once EMS is called, the responding crew assumes responsibility for assessing, and if necessary, treating the prisoner in question. EMS cannot, and will not, override the law enforcement officer’s custody in order to provide care.
• The role of EMS in this situation is to provide a thorough evaluation and any necessary medical care and transportation.
• Individuals being detained, under arrest, or classified as inmates are in the custody of the law enforcement agency with jurisdiction, but the individual has a right to receive and/or refuse medical care.
• It is the policy of the Iredell County Jail to assure that medical care is provided. Other law enforcement agencies should have similar policies.
• Law enforcement cannot refuse medical care for a subject in custody, and cannot legally sign an ICEMS Refusal of Treatment and/or Transportation form for a subject in custody.

4.      EMS Recommendation of Treatment/Transport:

• The lead medic should communicate directly with: 1) In the field: the responsible law enforcement officer, or 2) in the Jail: the on-duty sergeant, or corporal. In either situation, report the prisoner’s medical findings and any treatment recommendations to the law enforcement officer responsible for the subject in custody.
• Ambulatory prisoners with a stable medical condition that is not an obvious threat to life or limb may be transported via a sworn law enforcement officer.
• Non-ambulatory inmates with an unstable condition will be transported by ambulance with a sworn law enforcement officer in attendance.
• Any Iredell County Jail inmate being transported for medical treatment must have shackles in place – no exceptions.
• ICEMS personnel cannot diagnose a prisoner’s condition. EMS is responsible for providing a reasonable medical evaluation considering the circumstances, treating any condition per medical protocol, and making a recommendation for further treatment.
• Under no circumstances can ICEMS personnel medically clear a subject in custody of any medical problems, conditions, or complaints.