"Members of New York City's main public defenders union and legal advocacy groups gathered outside Brooklyn courthouses on May 18, rallying over what they called a preventable medical crisis inside the criminal court system: a 33-year-old woman giving birth on a courtroom bench while awaiting arraignment on low-level charges."
"Randazzo was arrested last Thursday on drug possession and trespassing charges. While in NYPD custody, she reportedly told officers she was pregnant and feeling ill and was taken to South Brooklyn Health in Coney Island at 3:30 a.m. on Friday. She was discharged from the hospital Friday evening at around 8 p.m. and taken to court. Her water broke at about 11:30 p.m., and she gave birth to her son shortly before midnight."
"She went into labor and delivered her child on a courtroom bench while in shackles and handcuffed, without adequate medical care or privacy, and while surrounded by court personnel, prosecutors, and law enforcement officers, according to a joint statement by The Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services, New York County Defender Services, The Bronx Defenders, and Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem."
"The statement also alleges that courtroom staff joked during the incident and that legal proceedings and prosecutorial decisions continued while Randazzo endured an active medical emergency."
A 33-year-old woman gave birth on a courtroom bench in Brooklyn Criminal Court while awaiting arraignment on low-level charges. She was arrested on drug possession and trespassing charges and told officers she was pregnant and feeling ill while in NYPD custody. She was taken to South Brooklyn Health early Friday, discharged around 8 p.m., and brought to court. Her water broke around 11:30 p.m., and she delivered shortly before midnight while handcuffed and surrounded by court personnel, prosecutors, and law enforcement. Legal advocacy groups alleged inadequate medical care and privacy, alleged staff joking during the emergency, and alleged that legal proceedings continued while she was in active labor.
Read at Brooklyn Paper
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