Nurse says she feels threatened by inmates at Fulton Jail - KMSP-TV

A nurse who works at the Fulton County Jail says she was left alone with dozens of inmates who threatened to sexually assault her. She says female staff and officers are working under a climate of fear trying to deal with male inmates who are becoming more and more aggressive.

The nurse, who asked to remain anonymous, said inmates are allowed in a common area outside of the cell to receive medication from a nurse. An officer is supposed to accompany the nurse, but the woman said that but the protection is not always there.

"When that is the case, then it gives the inmate an opportunity to pleasure themselves while a female staff is standing there. And it's just not with medical. It's also with the female officers," she said.

 If seconds turn into minutes, the inmates see a vulnerable alone female and approach, the woman alleged.

"The best thing to do is try to get out of there as quickly and as safely as possible," she said.

The woman said that up to 50 or 60 inmates can be in the pods.

She said that inmates have tried to touch and rub against her.  She said that she has reported the incidents to supervisors, but said she wasn't happy with their response.

"It's kind of that cavalier air of, ‘Just get used to it because this is what corrections is all about,'" she said.  

Sheriff Ted Jackson released a statement saying that he is aware of the concerns and they are making adjustments in how they handle these inmates. For example, he said that the medical nurses are told if that accompanying officer has to leave for a short period of time, that nurse is supposed to stop what she is doing and go with that officer.