Criminal Law

New York Legislators Seek Broader Anti-Shackling Protections Following Courtroom Birth in Brooklyn

New York lawmakers want to close loopholes in anti-shackling laws to protect incarcerated pregnant women.

Meagan O'Rourke | 5.28.2026 12:36 PM

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(Adani Samat/Midjourney)

After a woman gave birth in a New York City courtroom earlier this month, New York lawmakers are pushing for anti-shackling bills that would strengthen protections for pregnant prisoners and women in custody.

"A public defender in the courtroom that night said [Samantha] Randazzo," who had been charged with a low-level drug offense, had her hands "cuffed behind her back while she waited to be arraigned," the Gothamist's Samantha Max reported on Wednesday. "But officials said the restraints were removed once it became clear she was in labor."

There were "conflicting accounts about what happened" after Randazzo's water broke, according to The New York Times. While the Legal Aid Society and the Brooklyn Defenders released a joint statement the day after the incident claiming Randazzo had been forced to give birth "in chains," the........

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