Thousands of prisoners wrongfully restrained in hospital every year

Pregnant women handcuffed during and after labour. Dying men shackled to their hospital bed. A prisoner restrained while having his leg amputated.

Channel 4 News can reveal these are just some of the extraordinary cases where restraints are being wrongfully used on vulnerable prisoners while they’re receiving medical care.

In a rare and exclusive interview, the Prisons Ombudsman, Adrian Usher, told us: “Thousands of people, men and women, are being restrained inappropriately… the fact that the Prison Service, frankly, get it wrong so frequently is an issue that we should all be concerned about.”

Mr Usher said he has raised his own concerns many times with the Prison Service, but that not enough is being done quickly enough to tackle what he called “inhumane practices.”

He is particularly concerned about cases like ‘Laura’ – a young ex-offender who spoke to us about being restrained while in labour in 2023. We’re not using her real name to preserve her anonymity.

Serving time at HMP Bronzefield for drugs offences, she was deemed a “low risk” prisoner. She had suspected pre-eclampsia – a condition which can be life threatening for both mother and baby – and was handcuffed to a prison officer in hospital for hours after being induced and going into labour.

“I felt like an animal. I was handcuffed and I was having a lot of pain in my tummy and I asked her if she could loosen my handcuffs and she argued she couldn’t do it. I was crying. I got angry and very sad for being there chained and going through the very fragile moment,” she said.

“Many times I asked them to remove the chains, “ she went on. “I couldn’t have privacy with the doctor, I couldn’t use the toilet properly. And sometimes I couldn’t even walk properly. I couldn’t sleep. It was hurting me. Every time I ask them or question them about the handcuffs they told me that they had to use them, it was the rules.”

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Source: Channel 4 News, 8 April 2025