Cuffs on Babies

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    Around a month ago this story about the horrific experience a woman had when giving birth in prison was released to the public. In the video, Joanna describes to the audience how she was cuffed during labor after being told that she specifically would not, and despite her cries to be let go the officers ignored her by laughing or making small talk amongst themselves. Even the government specifies that cuffs should only be used if there is a high risk of escape or if the inmate is a threat to the safety of others. This was not the only struggle Joanna faced as she was denied the ability to take care of herself and the baby at times. One of the scenarios given was when Joanna was seen by a midwife who told her that the baby's heart rate was too high because of how anxious she was so the midwife advised her to go on a walk to calm down. The officer she was cuffed to then refused this by stating that they were too tired to go for a walk. This is of course one example and we encourage readers to watch the video to hear more about Joanna's experiences as well as an interesting conversation on what a woman's rights in prison should be at the end.


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