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Beyond Restraint - The Use of Body Belts, Special, Stripped and Padded Cells in Britain's Prisons

NCJ Number
98645
Date Published
1984
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Provisions governing the use of restraints in Great Britain's prisons are presented together with statistics on the use of restraints in 1981 and 1982.
Abstract
Prison Rule 46 permits the use of restraints where necessary to prevent prisoners from injuring themselves or others, damaging property or creating a disturbance, for safe custody during removal, or on medical grounds. On medical grounds, loose canvas jackets were used 7 times in 1981 and 1982, while padded cells were used 95 and 80 times, respectively. A comparison of the use of restraints on nonmedical grounds in 1981 and 1982 indicates that use of body belts increased from 41 to 107, handcuffs from 9 to 16, ankle straps from 6 to 8, and special cells from 672 to 892. In both years, local prisons were the most frequent users of restraints on medical grounds, and there was a decrease in overall use of restraints from 1981 to 1982. In contrast, the use of restraints on nonmedical grounds increased substantially during this time. Local prisons, closed borstals, and other closed training prisons were the most frequent users of restraints for nonmedical reasons in both years. The use of restraints, predominantly for nonmedical reasons, is a gray area of prison life. Given the disturbing growth in their use, much closer monitoring is needed. Needed reforms include the abolishment of the body belt, the specification of standards for the use of stripped cells, and ammendment of Prison Rule 46 to exclude the use of restraints on prisoners deemed to be creating a disturbance. A list of Prison Reform Trust publications is appended.