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Shackling, counting pregnant inmates

On its website, the Texas Jail Project is promoting two bills related to jail health care for pregnant women:? HB 3653: BANS the shackling of incarcerated women in labor and delivery (with some necessary exceptions for safety).? HB 3654: requires county jails to plan their MEDICAL CARE of pregnant women and also requires them to COUNT how many pregnant women they have incarcerated.Hard to imagine a postpartum shackling prohibition would be necessary - much less during "labor and delivery" - but apparently both the Texas Jail Project and the ACLU of Texas have received complaints about the practice from inmates and their families. TJP in particular has been gathering stories from incarcerated, expectant Moms since last year.Further confirming the practice, Diana Claitor from TJP forwards this example of shackling pregnant women from the Dallas County Jail in the form of a letter from a nurse practitioner complaining about the practice last year.continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on March 25, 2009 (boomark / email).