I am wondering, for any recently arrested person, what his or her relationship is with the police, especially when dealing with bodily functions like eating and going to the bathroom.
In my hypothetical situation, this arrested person has been captured in the middle of something heinous…say, attempted rape, shooting up a school, I don’t know. Shooting a sex tape with a child. Something where the police who have to deal with the person have no doubt that the person is guilty and a monster.
What is the relationship like between that person and the police when, say, that person needs to go to the bathroom, or needs a drink of water, or needs to eat? Are the cops rude to them? I’m sure they’re not nice, but obviously there must be some discomfort on both of their parts discussing mundane and necessary body functions. Seeing as they are in custody, is there some training on how to detain a person for a period of time that would require the police to get necessarily intimate with another person?
We have LEOs on the board to answer what the police are trained in. For the alleged perp it’s all about his own attitude and the situation. He’ll ask for what he wants, and it’s up to the police to decide if he gets it. With unfortunate exceptions the police act professionally, maybe more so as the severity of the crime worsens.
I know it’s TV, but in many shows with a horrific crime the folks in charge always insist that everything be done exactly correct so any evidence or conviction isn’t thrown out. A confession after 36 continuous hours of questioning with no water or potty breaks, seems like coercion to me. Confession inadmissible!
IANALEO - so, based on news and assorted movies, etc. - food arrives on a tray pushed through the bars in a typical jail. It eliminates the need to unlock the door to the cell. I gather food is provided by a catering service (few police stations have cafeterias) so it’s not like inmates get to make special orders or that the police would forget to feed the prisoner - too much neglect of basic rights can result in legal problems for the case against them…
Some prisons I’ve seen on TV have a toilet right there in the cell in the open - but most shows there does not seem to be that humiliation in the holding cells.
Remember there are degrees of incarceration. A person is arrested, put in a holding cell at the police station; maybe transferred during court appearances to a holding cell in the court building. At some point, assuming during arraignment, if they don’t make bail they go to a jail which is more permanent until their trial a year or two later. Once sentenced, there are long-term penitentiaries. Those last two seem to be the ones with toilets in the cells, again to minimize the amount of babysitting - unless they are more open prisons (think Orange is the New Black) where hey have the same sort of washrooms as a school etc.
So the OP question I guess is - what happens in a holding cell when “I gotta go?”. I imagine a the guy watching the cells is not going to hop to it every few minutes, but then torturing the person until they have an accident can backfire if considered torture and make the atmosphere uncomfortable. I seriously doubt the toilets next to cells have the convenient open rear window to escape from, if the police don’t want to watch.
There are varying levels of “in custody,” and each has its own protocols, as I understand from LEOs I know. If you’re in the back of the patrol car, the arresting officer will probably pull over if you need to puke, but you probably need to just hold your bodily functions if you need to urinate or defecate. Once you arrive at the county jail or other booking facility, the holding cell has a toilet, and usually a sink. You might not have any privacy, but there are facilities that don’t require extra assistance from a third party. Regular jail and prison cells also have a sink and toilet. And meals are served, either in cells, in a cafeteria setting, or some similar arrangement, on a schedule.
And it’s my understanding that, except for extraordinary circumstances, corrections officers don’t necessarily know or want to know a prisoner’s offense. And that makes sense - unless an inmate poses some special danger to a CO, himself, or other inmates, he should be treated just as everyone else. (And this certainly differs regarding county jails, where most of the inmates are accused, but not yet sentenced, versus prisons. But there is usually a classification process even for jail, unless you are arrested in Mayberry.)
I don’t have time to go into detail right now but will later if needed. I’ve dealt with some monsters. I’m always extremely nice. I want them to be cooperative and not belligerent. Everything goes by smoothly it everyone treats each other with respect. Telling a criminal what I feel about him or treating him badly only make my job harder. And now as a detective I want them to talk to me.
The arresting officer is not the person in the jail who would take care of those needs - it would be someone else.
Then people working in jails are… People! People are different!
So some will be nice, others not so nice. And one may have had a spat with his wife that morning, is in a bad mood, and will snarl at anyone he comes in contact with.
And same goes for prisoners. Some might be in a good mood, others a really bad mood, some might not be very talkative. Others scared to death.
But otherwise going into a jail holding cell might look like seeing a bunch of guys hanging out in a bar. Similar expressions on their faces - boredom. Same with jailers - boredom on their faces - just another day - not too much excitement.
Also the jailers may have a bunch of inmates to take care of and may not know every single offense each one has committed. Look online at your local county jail inmate roster, look at all the pictures and offenses, then go back - look at the pictures and try to remember each offense!
Not always… Personal experience… Cold concrete bench. Period. Me and my buddy. Handcuffed together. Not even possible to get comfortable. Two hours of waiting.