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August 29, 2008
Tennessee: Pregnant Inmates at Jail Will No Longer Be Restrained
August 29, 2008
National Briefing | South
Tennessee: Pregnant Inmates at Jail Will No Longer Be Restrained
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Pregnant inmates at Nashville’s jail will no longer be restrained, according to a policy change after an illegal immigrant said she was shackled during labor. Sheriff Daron Hall of Davidson County announced the changes this week, but he said pregnant inmates would still be restrained during trips to the hospital or to court if they presented a danger. Last month, a Mexican immigrant, Juana Villegas, was arrested on charges of careless driving and was held at the jail. Ms. Villegas said she went into labor July 5 and was taken to the hospital, where she was handcuffed to the bed by her right wrist and left ankle until shortly before the birth. The sheriff said her treatment followed the jail’s old policies, but he also said that in his opinion the old policy was “a little more than may have been necessary in every case.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/29/us/29brfs-PREGNANTINMA_BRF.html?_r=1&sq=Tennessee&st=cse&oref=slogin&scp=2&pagewanted=print
Posted by lois at August 29, 2008 08:39 PM