No Reason for Inmates to Know Nurses’ Personal Information, Group Says
By JUNE WILLIAMS
SEATTLE (CN)-The Washington State Nurses Association sued King County to prevent inmates from getting personal information about nurses working in jails and prisons. The move came after two murderers filed public information requests seeking names, job titles and duties of all medical employees working for Jail Health Services.
Nurses at the jail conceal their last names, according to the complaint in King County Court. The Nurses Association says that knowledge of a nurse’s last name could "enable the inmate to use free Internet resources to uncover an abundance of personal and private information about the employee, including home address and phone number."
According to the complaint, the Washington Court of Appeals has found tat the safety concerns of jail nurses were "legitimate." The Nurses Association also claims that disclosing employees’ full names violates the Public Employees Collective Bargaining Act.
The nurses are represented by Robert Lavitt with Schwerin Campbell.
