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MA: Time to Pass a Law in MA Banning the Use of Shackles for Women in Labor, Delivery and Post-Partum

By Real Cost of Prisons Project (The Sentencing Project)

Published in the September 2, 2009 Daily Hampshire Gazette, Northampton, MA To the editor: Unlike New York ("6th State will curb shackling - N.Y. set to ban use on pregnant women"), Massachusetts has no law banning the shackling of women prisoners who are in labor. A Massachusetts Department of Correction (DOC) policy allows the routine use of shackles on pregnant women although during the second and third trimester women prisoners are to be handcuffed only. According to DOC policy, full restraints are to be used when returning a woman to jail or prison after birth. Waist shackles cannot be used. Despite the DOC directive, the experience of many women in Massachusetts is that they are shackled unless a medical practitioner attending the birth directly intervenes...continue to full post

Full post as published by The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog on September 02, 2009 (boomark / email).