Friday, June 19, 2009

Prison Labor

It would be incredibly hard to be pregnant in prison. Believe it or not, but some pregnant prisoners are actually chained to their beds while they are in labor. Several former prisoners in Cook County, Illinois are suing Sheriff Tom Dat for his inhumane policy that kept women chained while in labor.

This whole thing is horrible. There is really no reason to keep a pregnant woman in shackles, because as one plantiff said, you can't really run away while in labor, much less take down guards and break through security. One woman also said that she wasn't even allowed any nurses or family members to help her. Last time I checked, pregnant women and prisoners were still human, and have rights. The prison system is infamous for inequality and poor living conditions, but this and the recent information that has come out about "butch wings" have really shocked me. When you commit a crime and enter the prison system, you don't automatically lose your rights.


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