Behind Prison Bars

Samantha Owens applied for the vacant position offered by the State of Texas prison officials for a Registered Nurse with obstetrical experience to work in their OB clinic. After her somewhat frightening orientation what she actually ended up working was the night shift position making her responsible for over 900 inmates in the women’s correctional facility. Facing the challenges of triaging pregnant inmates and those with multiple medical issues was daunting and often dangerous during the minimally staffed night shift. For Amy Graham who was incarcerated for writing hot checks, the challenges ranged from simple embarrassment and loneliness to the horrors of being a relatively innocent victim of the dangerous women around her.