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MA: More on the shackling of women in MA

By Real Cost of Prisons Project (The Sentencing Project)

My letter was published in The Valley Advocate in response to an article about the Prison Birth Project. http://www.valleyadvocate.com/article.cfm?aid=11952The article states: "Pregnant women may not be afforded adequate nutrition, medical care or psychiatric services, and in some states they may be shackled or restrained during birth. The practices and policies depend largely on the state and facility where women are incarcerated. WCC policy doesn't permit women in active labor to be handcuffed, shackled or restrained in any way, and Bullock said she has never seen a pregnant woman in shackles at the facility." I thought this was misleading and wrote the following letter to the Advocate which they published. Pregnant in Prison July 1, 2010 Valley Advocate It is important for your readers to know that, unlike New York, New Mexico, Vermont, Illinois and Texas, Massachusetts has no law banning the shackling of women prisoners who are in labor (See "Mothers Behind Bars," June 24, 2010...continue to full post

Full post as published by The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog on July 02, 2010 (boomark / email).