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Lawmaker: Bid to restrict shackles on prisoners in labor going forward Friday, Jan 26, 2007 By Doug Thompson LITTLE ROCK - Legislation to restrict the use of shackles on state prisoners who are giving birth will go forward after a good-faith effort to address state Department of Correction concerns, the bill's sponsor said Thursday. But the state prison director said the department's primary concern is that it does not want what is the prison system's current policy to be written into law. "I am not going to leave this alone," state Rep. Sharon Dobbins, D-North Little Rock, said after deciding not to present her bill at Thursday's meeting of the Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee. Dobbins said she would bring the bill back, but would meet with the department's attorney to address concerns about the measure. Whatever the final form of the bill, the department will remain opposed to putting the policy into law, Prison Director Larry Norris said. "We need the flexibility to write policy," Norris said. Dobbins said she wants the policy set in stone to prevent the agency from backsliding. Her passed the House on an 83-10 vote. The bill would discourage the use of restraints on pregnant inmates during labor and would restrict the department to using soft, cloth restraints on one arm or one leg, if necessary. Prison officials banned the practice of using metal restraints such as handcuffs in 2005 after an inmate who was shackled during most of her labor filed a lawsuit. The prisoner is a constituent of Dobbins, the legislator said. |
