Judge Cites Poor Care In Ordering Release Of Inmate With Cancer

A Surry County woman will soon be granted an early release from federal prison. A judge ordered Angela Beck's release because of her breast cancer and the poor medical care she received during her imprisonment.

Judge Catherine Eagles of the U.S. District Court said in her order that Beck's invasive cancer and the “abysmal health care” provided by the Bureau of Prisons qualify as “extraordinary and compelling reasons” to grant a reduction in her sentence to time served.

The Winston-Salem Journal reports that Beck will be placed on supervised probation for five years following her release.

Beck, who is 47, has served close to six years of a 14-year sentence in Aliceville, Alabama, for drug and firearms offenses.

Beck had filed a federal lawsuit saying the prison waited over eight months for a biopsy after she found a lump in her breast in August of 2017.  It took another two months to schedule surgery.

Prison officials have not specifically denied the allegations or given a reason for the delay in providing health care.