Women handcuffed while in labour: ‘I was so shocked’

The worst moment of Joanna's labour came during an internal examination while she was handcuffed, legs splayed and a female prison officer at the foot of the bed. Convicted of a non-violent drugs offence and considered low risk, she had planned to use hypnobirthing and knew from a Birth Companions booklet that restraints should be removed.

When she went into labour on 30 December 2022 she says she was taken to hospital chained to an officer and remained so for 36 hours; guards told her they would not abide by the booklet and she felt frightened and powerless. After Joanna spoke anonymously to Channel 4 News in 2025, the prisons minister, Lord Timpson, said an independent investigation by the prisons and probation ombudsman (PPO) would be commissioned to examine the use of restraints on pregnant prisoners during antenatal appointments, intimate examinations and labour.

The Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists have called for an investigation.

United Kingdom

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