Woman gives birth during arraignment in NYC courtroom

A 33-year-old woman gave birth to a baby boy in a Brooklyn courtroom while waiting to appear before a judge on low-level charges. She went into labor during arraignment hours after being released from the hospital. Police said she did not inform them she was pregnant until early Friday and reported drug withdrawal symptoms. After being taken to the hospital and discharged, she was brought to criminal court. Conflicting accounts emerged about what happened, including whether she was forced to give birth in restraints. Legal Aid and public defender organizations said she lacked adequate medical care, privacy, and dignity, while a court administration spokesman said her wrists were cuffed behind her back until labor was recognized and were then removed. Her case is expected to be dismissed.

"A woman gave birth in a Brooklyn, New York City, courtroom Friday as she was waiting to appear before a judge on low-level charges. Samantha Randazzo, who is 33, delivered her baby boy "on a courtroom bench without adequate medical care, privacy or dignity," according to an NBC News story that cited a joint statement from the Legal Aid Society and several public defender organizations that were present at the time. She had gone into labor during her arraignment, just hours after being released from the hospital."

"Police said Randazzo was wearing baggy clothes and did not inform them that she was pregnant until early Friday, when she also told them that she was experiencing drug withdrawal symptoms. Police took her to the hospital, and after she was discharged, they brought her to the criminal court, the New York Times reports. The New York Times also reports that there are conflicting accounts about what happened in the courtroom."

"Randazzo's lawyer Wynton Sharpe said court officers jumped into action to help Randazzo deliver her baby. But the Legal Aid Society and the public defender organizations said she was forced to give birth in restraints. "This is a horrific example of many, many system failures," Tina Luongo, the chief attorney of the Legal Aid Society's criminal defense practice, told the New York Times."

"Al Baker, a spokesman for the New York Office of Court Administration, told the New York Times that Randazzo's wrists were cuffed behind her back until the court realized that she was in labor. He said they were removed, and she was not restrained in any other way. Randazzo's case is expected to be dismissed, the New York Times reports."

Read at ABA Journal