They say you lose your humanity when you go to prison. They say you come out a changed man.
I wouldn’t know as I’ve never been convicted of any crimes but it would appear that conditions in US prisons are not as pristine as some think they are or as they are being depicted in films or television series. Of course, this depends both on the prison itself and, in my humble opinion, on your crime.
In the case of Mr. Brad Demuzio, he lost a bit more in prison as well.
The 38-year-old white-collar criminal has filed a claim in Denver District Court in which he is suing the US government for negligence which led to the loss of his testicle whilst behind bars for a staggering $1.8 million.
The story reads like a series of unfortunate events due to the start date being somewhat unhelpful.
Let me tell you: on 31 December 2014 at 3 am, Mr. Demuzio awakes from his slumber to intense pain in the groin, more particularly in his right testicle. He goes to see the doctor as soon as one is available (at 6 am that morning). Prison doctor George Santini prescribes and antibiotic and claims he needs more specialized treatment probably but due to timing (new year and all), he would have to wait a bit.
By 8 pm that evening (new year’s eve), the pain had become unbearable and the resident nurse calls Doctor Santini’s supervisor, Doctor Anthony Oba, requesting that she can send Mr. Demuzio to a hospital outside of the prison. Due to the timing most likely, this is denied.
No clinic staff is first available till the hospital re-opens, January 2nd, and then until the resident doctor returns from vacation, January 6th. At this time, Mr. Demuzio is immediately sent to St. Thomas Moore Hospital in Cañon City where he is investigated by a radiologist and a urologist, both telling him that the blood flow to his testicle has been interrupted and it needs to be removed.
Due to scheduling issues at the hospitals which could perform the operation and the Bureau of Prisons needing to fill out the necessary paperwork, which took a week, Mr. Demuzio could only be operated on 3 February 2015, more than a month after he had first sought treatment.
According to his lawsuit: “Sleeping, resting, and recuperating under those conditions were difficult if not impossible.”
Source:
http://www.denverpost.com/2017/10/27/ex-inmate-sues-over-lost-testicle/
More than a month after he had first sought treatment