The Board of Corrections are heroic in their proposed limits on restraints on pregnant women.  The use of restraints during labor, delivery and postpartum are cruel, unnecessary, and psychologically harmful to women.  Technology has made other options of tracking inmates possible, and much less problematicshould a medical emergency arise.  Very few female prisoners are violent and are little security risk.  There are no statistics of inmates endangering themselves or others during labor and postpartum.  They are not a flight risk.  The Board of Corrections is well supported in this decision for the wellbeing of everyone involved.

I would like to take the opportunity to urge the Board to make strong provisions for publicly reporting of the new regulations as well as compliance with these regulations.  This addition would make it more likely that public support of this measure will be expressed in a timely fashion.

Thank you again for this positive and compassionate change.