Prisoner Restraint Chair
Prison and jail officers often encounter extremely violent inmates who are a serious threat to themselves, staff, and other inmates. In these situations, normal restraining devices – handcuffs, waist chains, and leg irons – are simply not enough to properly subdue the unruly prisoner. The most effective means to safely restrain and transport combative prisoners is to utilize a restraint chair.
Restraint chairs completely immobilize the prisoner’s torso and limbs. Special attachments can also limit head movement. Once the inmate is securely fastened to the chair he can be wheeled (the chair is designed to tilt back on two rear wheels similar to a furniture dolly) to desired destinations, such as the medical department, court hearings, segregation and other areas, such as the special housing unit (SHU).
Under no circumstances should restraint chairs be used as a means of punishment. Also, prisoners should not be left seated in a restraint chair for more than two hours.
*Tomorrow – Author Lori Lake: Guns, Guns, Guns!
Please join us as for part one of a three part series about the firearms carried by law enforcement officers. Lori is also going to give us a peek at the guns toted by bad guys, too.
SZ – Restraint chairs are used for any extremely combative prisoner. The purpose of the chair is to prevent injury to the inmate and staff.
Dave- We never had a restraint chair. Instead, we used very large police officers and jailers.
It just seems a chair like this is for a mental patient only. How does one question sanity when a chair like this is needed ?
Lee,
Our Jail got one of these chairs, but long after I had to wrestle prisoners into the jail. Did you have the benefit of such a chair on the job?
Looks like an old fashion dental chair – you know – before novocain.
Joyce, the call you listed reminded me of a prowler call on went on one night – which turned out to be a young raccoon in a window well. The woman wanted us to call the game warden, who would not have appreciated a 3 AM call, so ,,, our solution? A 2 by 4 laid into the window well, come back 15 minutes later and the raccoon is gone.
Not to take away from your post on the cool restraint chairs, but I just wanted to pass along the report I just entered into the computer. Now this is real police work:
“05/17/08 OFFICERS WAUGH AND STELITANO RESPONDED TO 2001 VERDEN CT FOR A FAWN STUCK IN A WINDOW WELL. UPON ARRIVAL THE FAWN WAS REMOVED AND REUNITED WITH MOM. JT 05/19/08.”