Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall, a Brooklyn Federal Court figure, is demanding in-person explanations from Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center regarding lack of proper medical treatment for an inmate. The issue arose after MDC medical staff allegedly denied the inmate essential medication post-appendectomy, further lying to the detainee’s legal representatives about completion of his antibiotic regimen.
MDC Under Scrutiny for Inmate Medication Mismanagement
The MDC has been called to account by Judge DeArcy Hall following an incident involving an inmate’s post-surgery care. Jonathan Goulbourne, awaiting a sentence for his part in a burglary and marijuana dealing group, was reportedly denied his prescribed medication after undergoing an urgent appendectomy.
Goulbourne, 45, experienced extreme abdominal pain and vomiting in his cell on April 14. Despite his pleas for help, Goulbourne was initially ignored; he was later admitted to the hospital with a ruptured appendix. Upon returning to the MDC on April 18, Goulbourne was given a five-day antibiotic prescription and three days of Percocet to control his pain.
MDC Fails to Administer Prescribed Medication to Inmate
However, Goulbourne was unable to receive his third day of Percocet due to the MDC’s pill line manager’s refusal to dispense the medication sans his hospital-held ID. The issue was further complicated when the jail went into a lockdown period over the weekend of April 20 due to staffing shortages.
Once the lockdown lifted on April 23, Goulbourne, having discussed his Percocet situation with a nurse, found himself dispatched to a segregated housing unit—minus his final two doses of antibiotics. When his legal representative, Noam Beale, inquired, he was informed by MDC legal personnel that Goulbourne had completed his medication on April 24.
Judicial Intervention to Uncover Alleged Medication Mismanagement
Judge DeArcy Hall intervened after receiving conflicting information regarding the completion of Goulbourne’s medication. FBOP attorney Sophia Papapetru admitted that Goulbourne missed two doses, while DeArcy Hall demanded further clarification about who misled them about the medication status.
DeArcy Hall called upon all responsible personnel to appear in court for a hearing. The list of summoned officials includes a clinical director, a health administrator, a Bureau of Prisons attorney, and a correction lieutenant.
The judge expressed her exasperation at the MDC’s perceived negligence, stating, “At a certain point, the MDC is going to have to understand that the judges of this court are no longer going to tolerate the mismanagement of the medical care of the defendants that are in their charge.”
Repeated Negligence at The MDC
The MDC’s alleged nonchalance towards providing adequate medical care for its inmates has come under fire in recent years. The jail’s treatment of its inmates during a blackout in 2019 and reports of inadequate water, food, and staffing levels in 2021, have drawn sharp criticism.
Judge DeArcy Hall’s firm intervention reflects wider frustration within Brooklyn and Manhattan federal courts, as MDC repeatedly fails to uphold legal requests and judicial orders regarding inmate medical care.
Deirdre von Dornum of the Federal Defenders has voiced her concern over multiple instances where MDC has not adhered to the orders of several judges to offer sufficient medical care to custodial defendants. She lauded Judge DeArcy Hall’s commitment to identifying and rectifying repeated mishaps.