New York Woman Kept In Shackles During A Difficult Labor Receives $610,000

New York Woman, Who Was Kept In Shackles During Her Delivery Gets $610k

• Jane Doe, the woman who was kept in cuffs while she was in labor, gets $610k from the City of New York.
• She claimed she went into labor in a Bronx prison, a day after her arrest in February 2018.
• She was taken to the Montefiore Medical Center, NY from the jail with metal cuffs on her wrists and heavy shackles on her feet.
• Shackling of a pregnant woman in police custody or prison has been banned in New York since 2009.

The City of New York has agreed to pay $610k to the woman who was kept in shackles while she was in labor.

The woman, Jane Doe, claimed in her lawsuit against the city that she went into labor in a Bronx prison hours after her arrest on February 7, 2018.

CNN reported Doe's attorney Katherine Rosenfeld said she was arrested in Bronx County Family Court for violating an order of protection that was the part of the custody battle with her ex-boyfriend. Rosenfeld added, at 40 weeks pregnant, it wasn't necessary to arrest her. 

As per the court doc u ments, she was taken to the Montefiore Medical Center, NY from the jail with metal cuffs on her wrists and heavy shackles on her feet. Shackling of a pregnant woman in police custody or prison has been banned in New York since 2009.

Moreover, the amendment in the policy in 2015 further restricted the use of any restraints on a pregnant woman.

As per the doc u ment, doctors at the hospital appealed to the officers to remove the cuffs, saying they could endanger the mother and her child, however, officers told the doctors that shackling was NYPD policy. The complaint said,

While she was in the NYPD's custody, Ms. Doe never struggled, resisted, or acted in any way that would even remotely support the use of restraints. Ms. Doe was terrified for herself and for her baby.

After continuous protests from doctors, the officers removed shackles from the woman just minutes before she gave birth to her child. The complaint further said she had to feed her daughter with one arm.

The lawsuit accused the city, NYPD, and the officers involved of a s sault, unlawful use of restraints and violations of her constitutional rights. The NYPD didn't a s sume any wrongdoing in the settlement.

Detective Sophia Mason released a statement saying the NYPD intends to better address safety and medical concerns of arrestees in late stages of pregnancies and through childbirth. She further said,

At the same time, the NYPD will balance these needs with the safety of patients, medical staff, police officers, and others charged with the care and custody of all prisoners.

Meanwhile, Doe's attorney Rosenfeld said the NYPD owed Ms. Doe a public apology but, he added, the payment and the revision of the policy would have to do that function.

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