On June 8th, Governor Chafee signed into law a bill supported by the ACLU, the RI State Nurses Association, RI NOW and other groups to restrict the shackling of pregnant prisoners.  The physical restraint of pregnant incarcerated women during transport, labor, delivery and recovery is viewed as a major human rights and civil rights concern within the United States and internationally. A restrained pregnant woman cannot move freely or control her balance, placing both her and her fetus at risk.  Rhode Island’s new law is one of the strongest in the country. It generally bars the use of handcuffs or shackles on pregnant incarcerated women, allowing only “medically appropriate” restraints to be used in their second and third trimester of pregnancy.  Corrections officials must also use the least restrictive restraints necessary for those few individuals who pose a risk to themselves or others, ensuring the health and safety of women and children before, during and after childbirth. Read summarized bullet points of the bill here and reasons why we supported the bill here.

Sponsors

Representative Donna Walsh and Senator Rhoda Perry

Status

Passed

Session

2011

Bill number

Position

Support