Friday, August 5, 2011

Inhumane and Dangerous

Two quick links here.  First up, one of the official mental health advisers for Australia's federal government is convinced that the situations asylum seekers find themselves placed in when they're incarcerated in private prisons are worse than what is being reported.  A recent investigation is seeking to determine if the rates of self-harm in these facilities is higher than what's being reported.  A professor recently estimated that there is a "near-miss" suicide attempt nearly every single night in one of Australia's private immigration detention centers.

Meanwhile, in Kentucky, a death at a prison has raised questions about the medical care being provided by Corizon, a private, for-profit company.  Anthony Dwayne Davis died nearly 20 hours after requesting medical attention but being denied treatment at the Fayette County Detention Center.  17 hours after he submitted the claim, he was finally taken to the infirmary, where he did not have a pulse.  Davis had a history of heart trouble, which makes the 17-hour delay especially worrisome.  This company apparently has a bit of history in denying medical attention; last year, a 54-year-old prisoner died of a pulmonary embolism after not receiving treatment quickly enough.

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