Nurse Fired For Inappropriate Relationship With Inmate

Buckinghamshire, England – Jane Jackson was caught topless with a male inmate. The couple was found in a compromising position in a locked private exam room inside the HM Prison Woodhill. When the couple was discovered by a colleague, a mop had been jammed under the door handle to ensure for privacy.

The institute is a category A maximum security jail nicknamed “Britain’s Alcatraz.” It houses serious criminal offenders like rapists and murderers.

These types of taboo relationships can undermine the safety and integrity of a prison. The nurse has since been on suspension from the February 2009 incident, awaiting a final decision by a Nursing and Midwifery Council hearing.

Initially Jackson claimed the inmate had intimidated her and feared for her life. Council members reviewing the case deemed Jackson failed to establish and maintain professional boundaries with the prisoner.

Jackson confessed to smuggling contraband toiletries in for the inmate, referred to as Prisoner A, in order to “shut him up.” Following her suspension, the contraband deodorant and shower gel were found in the prisoner’s cell.

Jackson has since been fired based on her sexually motivated misconduct, disregarding policies, and creating an unwarranted risk.

These types of relationships are not uncommon. Prison and jail medical units are typically staffed with female workers, creating a number of challenges to avoiding inappropriate inmate relationships.

Psychologists warn some vulnerable women are taken advantage of by opportunistic inmates. Although correction professionals don’t intend to develop a relationship with an inmate, personal life stressors can create an opening. Also having day-to-day contact with an inmate can desensitize a worker to the violent nature that landed the criminal in jail. This makes it easier for the employee to sympathetically identify with the prisoner.

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