Action | Amend Minimum Standards for Jails and Lockups to add requirements on restraint of pregnant offenders |
Stage | Proposed |
Comment Period | Ended on 9/27/2013 |
I am writing to support the proposed ban on subjecting female inmates to restraints while they're undergoing labor and delivery of a baby. It's ridiculous to imagine that a woman in labor is going to try to escape from a delivery room unless she's handcuffed or otherwise shackled. The use of these types of restraints is an indignity, unnecessarily uncomfortable for the mother, and potentially a medical hazard for both her and the baby. It's past time to do away with this practice.