Restrained and in pain: Use of force in women’s jails soars
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Women in English prisons are being increasingly handcuffed, restrained or subjected to “pain-inducing techniques” by staff, including while pregnant or during hospital examinations, openDemocracy can reveal.

Prison guards’ use of force against women more than doubled in three years, rising from 3,268 incidents in 2021/22 to 6,932 in 2024/25, according to data we obtained from His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) under Freedom of Information laws. The government says such measures should be used only as “a last resort”.

Instances where a woman was physically restrained, which could include her being held face down to the floor, rose by 70% over that time period, while handcuff usage rose by 264%, from 502 occasions to 1,826.

“Use of force” against pregnant women also increased, with 11 cases in 2024/25. It is not clear from the data whether this includes non-contact interventions such as positive communication, and HMPPS refused to answer questions on this, although such techniques would usually fall under “de-escalation” rather than “use of force”. The rest of our data does not include non-contact interventions.

  • CovfefeKills@lemmy.worldEnglish
    17·
    2 months ago

    So “use of force” here can mean handcuffed while going to an appointment per the high security prisons protocols?

    “You are stripped of your dignity in prison, but this is a hospital and I am pulling my leggings down and I am attached to a stranger. I felt like the doctor was embarrassed, and therefore everything was very rushed.” The process was “unnecessary,” said Beatrice, pointing out that she posed no risk to the staff or the public. But she also warned that the lack of privacy and dignity could risk women’s health. “It was dangerous,” she said. “When you are in a medical appointment, particularly an intimate appointment, it should just be you and the doctor. You don’t want to share medical information with someone who locks you in your cell every day.”

    Bitch you in prison

    “It was so unnecessary, especially for women. Because women are not there for violent offences, they are not a risk to the public,” she said.

    They are a risk to themselves with self harm being the trigger for use of force against them the article said this…

    “Women are spending prolonged periods locked in their cells, and use of force is too often deployed as a response to prisoner-on-prisoner bullying"

    prisoner on prisoner bullying yea okay mate.

    This reads very very entitled like what the fuck did you think prison was going to be?