Review of the Use of Restraints on Pregnant Inmates

Every year, The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (the Commission) collects reports on the use of restraints on pregnant detainees, as required by government code. Each facility under the purview of the Commission will submit a report on the use of any type of control or restraint to restrict an inmate known to be pregnant or who gave birth within the last three months. This includes restricting the movement of a limb or another part of the inmate.

With regard to pregnant inmates, the circumstances surrounding the use of restraints must be included in the report with the following information:

• Immediately before being restrained, what activity was the inmate engaged in?
• What type of restraint was used?
• Was the inmate restrained during or after delivery?
• Was the inmate restrained while being transported to a local hospital?
• What are the reasons the decision was made to use the restraints? Describe the process by which this decision was made as well as the name and title of the individual or individuals making the decision.

See Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and ongoing posts about results of jail inspection reports reflecting instances of non-compliance. In the next installment of this series, learn about more of the issues of non-compliance that Texas jails have been cited for in 2020.

This post is provided as an informational resource. There is not an intention in this or other blog posts on this site to infer that any institution, organization, or individual has engaged in misconduct of any kind.

–Guest Contributor