Former patient sentenced in attack under Violence Against Nurses law

PHOTOGRAPHER: Steven Cook

A one-time patient at a psychiatric center was sentenced Friday to prison after admitting to assaulting a nurse and knocking her unconscious.

The case was one the union for the nurse called landmark, in that it was among the first to be prosecuted under a new Violence Against Nurses Law.

Sentenced Friday was Terry James, who was a patient at the Capital District Psychiatric Center in Albany in March.

James pleaded guilty earlier to one count of second-degree assault, a felony, admitting to assaulting nurse Judi Rychcik on March 13.

Rychcik was responding to a crisis intervention code when James punched her, causing her to fall, hitting her head. Rychcik suffered a fractured skull and injuries to her neck, head and brain.

James was sentenced Friday to five years in state prison by Albany County Court Judge Dan Lamont.

Though a resident of the psychiatric center, James was evaluated and found competent to stand trial, the Albany County District Attorney’s Officials said.

The Violence Against Nurses Law went into effect in November 2010.

Rychcik is a member of the Public Employees Federation. The union on Friday praised the law and its application in James’ case.

“It will go a long way in helping to protect our nurses when patients realize there will be consequences for their actions,” PEF President Ken Brynien said in a statement.