Police Do Not Screen Hospital Patients for Outstanding Warrants - Update

A commenter on an earlier thread brought my attention to the tragic case of Joyce Curnell, who died for lack of medical care in police custody in Charleston, South Carolina.  According to "A Sociologist," the Curnell case appeared "to corroborate the collusion between police and the hospitals," as claimed by Alice Goffman.  The comment provided these passages from the Charleston Post & Courier:

Around noon on July 21, Curnell was taken from Edisto Island by ambulance to the hospital as she complained of nausea and vomiting. She was diagnosed in the emergency room with gastroenteritis, an irritation of the stomach and intestines.

At some point at the hospital, it was discovered that she had a bench warrant in a 2011 shoplifting case. She had been put on a payment plan in April 2012 to cover $1,148.90 in fines related to the charge, according to court records, but she quit paying the following January. After she didn’t respond to a letter from the court, the warrant was issued in August 2014.

I therefore investigated the case, and it turns out that there was no collusion between the police and the hospital, much less a "standard practice" of running patient lists for warrant checks.  

In fact, as reported in a subsequent story in the Post & Courier, Ms. Curnell's own son had called 911 to report his mother's location and outstanding warrant, in an attempt to "get her to detox herself."  The story is incredibly sad, but, as I suspected, it does not remotely corroborate Prof. Goffman's claim that police -- in Philadelphia, or anywhere else -- routinely screen hospital patients for outstanding warrants.

[Note: Original post has been edited slightly for clarity.]

 

Comments

[Captain Hruska Carswell, Continuance King]

Thank you for the follow through. When I read or hear things like this from clients or the media regarding unprofessional police conduct or procedures, it sometimes feels like a punch in my "fairness" gut. In my mind, I know to stand back and wait for all of the facts....but my heart tells me, here we go again. Here, we have the police acting like heroes and trying to do the right thing for this family and it was the reporter who fumbled the ball. These Coppers should have been recognized for going out of their way on a relatively low level probation violation warrant. This was not just about non-payment of fines and costs, by the way. I will bet she failed to comply with most of the terms of her probation....remain clean and sober and to seek a drug and alcohol assessment and follow recommendations. Most courts, if a clients successfully completes treatment, community service and cooperate with the PO, will terminate Probation and simply enter judgment on the fines/costs.

[AGR]

I do not understand why this justifies the alleged mishandling of her situation when she was in custody.

[Steve L.]

Thanks for writing. There is no justification for Curnell's treatment in custody, which was inexcusable.

My post was part of a continuing discussion about the execution of warrants at hospitals, and it was only meant to show that hospitals do not routinely give their patient lists to police. There was a suggestion that had happened in the Curnell case, which turned out not to be true.

I corresponded with the Curnell family lawyer, who told me "there was no maleficence on behalf of the sheriff’s department in connection with their knowledge of Ms. Curnell’s hospitalization"

In any case, neither the validity of the warrant, nor the circumstances of its execution, can justify withholding medical care from a prisoner in distress.

[Captain Hruska Carswell, Continuance King]

This is a great illustration that Ms. Goffman and the Charelston reported lacked incite, seasoning and understanding of the system. They couldn't smell bullshit if it hit them in the head.... These posts are not about Currnell's lack of medical treatment. That issue is tangential. Certainly, the penalty for her probation violation is not death. There is absolutely no question that she should have been treated humanely and been treated for the DT's.

[AGR]

Thanks, Steve. i was not addressing your post. i was addressing the comment going into detail about Currnell's faults, as if this had anything to do with whether the hospital's instructions about her care were followed or not.

[Captain Hruska Carswell, Continuance King]

AGR,

Faults are subjective. Facts are objective. Being placed on Probation and violating its conditions leading to a warrant for her arrest are FACTS, not faults.