Handcuffed woman gives birth in New York courtroom; advocates call for investigation

A woman awaiting arraignment on low-level drug charges gave birth to a healthy baby boy inside Brooklyn Criminal Court in downtown Brooklyn. Her water broke while she was sitting on a bench, and the judge cleared the courtroom as court officers rushed to help her. Public defender organizations condemned her treatment and demanded an investigation into how she gave birth under those circumstances without adequate medical attention. They said no one should be forced to give birth while restrained, denied basic medical care, and deprived of human dignity. They also alleged courtroom staff joked during the incident, increasing humiliation. Her lawyer denied she was handcuffed or shackled during the birth.

"No person should ever be forced to give birth in handcuffs or endure labor while restrained, exposed, and denied basic medical care and human dignity. What occurred in that courtroom was not simply a failure of protocol or preparedness. It was a profound moral failure and a devastating reflection of the cruelty embedded in our carceral system, the statement from the Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services, New York County Defender Services, The Bronx Defenders, and Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem said."

"A child entered the world in a courtroom while their mother was in chains. According to the statement legal proceedings continued and courtroom staff could be heard joking about the incident while it happened, adding to Randazzo's humiliation and dehumanization."

"Randazzo was sitting on a bench in the courtroom, awaiting to be arraigned, when her water broke. The judge immediately cleared the courtroom while the court officers rushed to help Randazzo, according to Sharpe. "The baby came really quickly," Randazzo's lawyer, Wynton Sharpe, told the Daily News."

""It was a happy and sad situation given the circumstances. It definitely changed the whole energy of the courtroom." But Randazzo's lawyer denied that his client was handcuffed or shackled as she gave birth."

Read at The Mercury News