New Jersey Prison Nurse Files Lawsuit After Alleging Pressure to Give Inmates Unprescribed Medication

A registered nurse who briefly worked in New Jersey’s state prison healthcare system sued, alleging she was coerced to provide convicts unprescribed medication and lost her job after reporting it. Workplace treatment, medical ethics in prisons, and whistleblower protections are raised by the case.

Savannah Davenport joined Rutgers University Correctional Healthcare as a registered nurse in mid-December 2024. New Jersey jail inmates receive medical care from the group. Davenport disclosed her autism and PTSD to her employer upon starting the work.

Davenport says she had trouble at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Hunterdon County less than a month after starting work. In February, she sued for discrimination, alleging that managers and correctional guards pressured her to provide detainees non-prescribed drugs.

In one case, Davenport claimed a correctional guard told her to provide detainees any medication they wanted. Officer allegedly disregarded the issue by calling detainees “all drug users.” In another case, Davenport was encouraged to provide ibuprofen and antacids to convicts without a medical order.

According to Davenport, nurses must follow medical regulations and refuse to give drugs without authorization. Her lawsuit contends that these instances forced her to choose between medical ethics and facility personnel coercion.

The lawsuit also claims Davenport experienced major jail medication issues. She said narcotics were improperly secured and unsealed drug packaging was allowed in circulation.

Davenport claims the workplace turned hostile after she raised concerns. The civil filing states that bosses and correctional officials shouted at her at work.

Davenport told her supervisor that her autism sometimes makes it hard for her to understand indirect communication. According to her, unfriendly behavior increased her post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms.

A supervisor notified Davenport shortly after this chat that the company had received many reports that she was impolite or disrespectful. These claims are denied by Davenport. She claims in the lawsuit that she was never warned or penalized for such behavior and that the allegations were utilized to fire her.

She left Rutgers University Correctional Healthcare in February 2025. Davenport claims in the lawsuit that her removal was based on disability symptoms rather than wrongdoing.

Davenport complained to HR after her dismissal. She later learned a state probe had begun. She learned she would not be rehired in April 2025.

Hunterdon County Superior Court received the lawsuit. Davenport is seeking protection under New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination and Conscientious Employee Protection Act. Employees who report suspected lawbreaking are protected by the whistleblower law, or CEPA.

Davenport’s attorney said the case shows the risks employees confront when reporting workplace malfeasance. The attorney said the whistleblower legislation protects workers who suspect wrongdoing but fear retaliation.

The charges were not immediately addressed by Rutgers University Correctional Healthcare or the New Jersey Department of Corrections.

Reports of wrongdoing and abuse at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women have drawn public criticism for years. The Edna Mahan jail in Union Township will close, and New Jersey is developing a new women’s prison in Burlington County.

According to Davenport’s lawsuit, correctional institutions’ healthcare services and staff treatment of complaints are now under scrutiny. The New Jersey court will consider the parties’ claims and responses.

The conclusion may impact labor protections, correctional healthcare medical ethics, and prison oversight as the legal process progresses.