Cruel and Unusual Punishment in Coweta County DUI.
CBS News recently reported about a Coweta County Misdemeanor DUI Detainee who died in special restraint chair designed for use at maximum of 2 hours after 14 hours in chair in August of 2008. The Misdemeanor detainee, Willie Sutton, Sr., was suffering from extreme alcohol withdraw known as delirium tremors. Instead of receiving medical treatment he was put in the special restraint chair whose manufacturer warns not to use more than 2 hours at a time and misuse can cause death. This is not the first DUI death. Diabetics have been by killed police when in diabetic shock suspected of DUI. The Question is posed? Are jails equipted to handle alcoholics and drug addicts or should they be sent to rehabilitation hospitals where they are trained for detoxification. What about people sent to jail on prescription drugs that suddenly stopping can cause serious medical consequences. As the Sheriff noted in the interview, Death does stop in the county jail, but it should not start there either.
