Inmate advocates are in an uproar after an incarcerated woman was forced to give birth by herself in a jail cell in Tennessee.
A woman was housed in the Montgomery County Jail, a 60-mile drive northwest of Nashville near the Kentucky border, as she was approaching the time her child was due to arrive. The jail stated in its report obtained by CNN that the unidentified woman told a sheriff’s deputy that she needed medical attention at approximately 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023.
The news station reported that the deputy stated the woman was given an evaluation by a licensed practical nurse and then a registered nurse at 11:30 a.m. and 11:54 a.m., respectively.
“After the follow-up assessment, the medical staff left the cell but continued to assess the situation and order additional medical tests,” the sheriff’s office told CNN. “Deputies continued to check on the inmate during this time.”
Officials at the jail did not disclose what the assessment detailed nor the diagnoses and prognosis of the female. However, the publication stated that the woman gave birth alone less than an hour later. At 12:41 p.m., a deputy checked on her and discovered that the baby had already arrived.
The New York Times reported that the woman pleaded for care before the baby’s arrival.
After the sheriff noticed the infant was born, first responders were dispatched and the woman and newborn were rushed to a local hospital. The woman is said to be in stable condition as of Tuesday.
The unknown woman’s identity was not released to the media citing their right to refuse disclosure of the woman’s medical records under the Tennessee Open Records Act.
