By Madison Hunt, The Imprint, October 13, 2021
Ridding itself of ties to a past now seen as barbaric and unjust, it is now illegal to place “shackles, handcuffs, irons and straitjackets” on children appearing before the New York family courts.
“The use of restraints on children is humiliating, traumatizing, stigmatizing, and permanently damaging into their adult life,” Democratic state Sen. Jamaal Bailey, the bill’s author, wrote in a public statement released last week. “The human cost of this failed approach to juvenile justice is simply incompatible with the rehabilitative intent of the justice system, with the burden falling most heavily on Black and brown communities.”
The law signed Oct. 8 by newly named Gov. Kathy Hochul adds a new section to the Family Court Act, and took effect immediately. It applies to anyone younger than 21 who appears before the family court for any type of hearing — delinquency, child welfare, custody or visitation.
Comments (0)