DDD

Well-Known Member
Susie I'm sure that in all large facilities there are numerous ways to get pills but K's son has no history of being a drug addict, thank heavens. My easy child/difficult child has been in three SA juvie programs and the local County jail. Most of his friends are addicted to alcohol or drugs. Cheeking is standard fare at juvie facilities in Florida...including juvie prison divisions which I am thankful wasn't necessary for him. You are absolutely right about the staffing problems etc. but I hopefully doubt that her son has added addiction to his issues. I sure hope he hasn't put that on
his plate. Fingers crossed. DDD
 

klmno

Active Member
I didn't think he had it on his plate either, DDD, but I'm thinking more and more that might have been on his plate for a while. Now, when you refer to state juvie prison- you realize that is what my son is in and this is what is meant by "committed to state Department of Juvenile Justice", right? Juvie is detention- the juvenile equivalent to jail. difficult child is on his second commitment to state Department of Juvenile Justice. From what other parents have "mentioned" while waiting around at visitation, the cheeking and trading of medications is VERY common in these facilities. Ans Susie is right as well, about staff being corrupt. Not all- but since difficult child has been committed the first time, staff have been caught having sex with wards (the principal of one of the schools beleive it or not) and a nurse at one facility had an "affair" with one of the wards and gave him a flipping key to break out. I put affair in quotes because that's how the newspaper worded it. If it had been a "free" female girl and a grown man, it would have been worded much differently, I'm sure. And these are just the stories that have made the newspaper. A nurse gives medications in regular working hours but are not there to give medications in evenings or weekends or holidays, so regular staff does it. If that isn't bad enough, when difficult child was on medications for BiPolar (BP), the facility RAN OUT of lithium. (A medication that is never supposed to be quit cold turkey.) And 10 days later, still hadn't gotten any back in.

Budget cuts- in this state the vast majority were in 3 areas- sd programs for spec need kids, mental health, and at-risk juvenile programs. All the rest of the cuts combined didn't come close to these. It really proved to me how the people in this state feel about things and why I had been feeling like I was having such a hard time getting people in the "systems" to care but hitting a brick wall.
 

klmno

Active Member
And I clearly remember difficult child's comment when he was about to be committed this last time and I asked why he'd been acting like he wanted to go back ever since he'd been released- he said "because I can do the things I want to do in there and not get in any more trouble- if I do those things out here, I get in more trouble". I thought he was referring to staying up half the night chatting with other boys his age. Obviously, he couldn;'t hang out with other kids 24/7 as a minor in school living in a family home, and on parole with house arrest.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Well...let me go ask an expert.

According to Cory, he saw one time when a guy bought a joint off another guy. Never any pills. medications were dispensed at the nurses station and inmates were taken there. Cigs were bought a few times but that was even hard because in the county jail they arent allowed to smoke so its a stealthy production.

He says he never saw anyone selling their adhd medications but that may be because he was in Special Education and everyone already had medications. No reason to sell it or need it.
 

DDD

Well-Known Member
Geez, I understand about "running out of Lithium". They "run out" quite often at the County jail and the GP who is in charge of all health issues & does the Rx's actually changed the seizure medication that easy child/difficult child had been prescribed by the brain surgeon. Why? Because "Rx. is less expensive and I've had some experience with it". Double Geez! by the way, there is a charge added to the jail bill for every visit to the nurse or the MD (who stops by once a week). Great system, huh? DDD
 
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