What’s So Humane About Humane Restraints? (May 4, 2011)

May 4, 2011 by Austin Cushing.

Someone recently asked me a question about our Humane Restraint items - how humane can a restraint really be? To answer that, you have to understand more about how restraint systems such as straitjackets, restraint chairs, and bed restraints are used.

First and foremost, physical restraints are used to ensure the safety of the people responsible for handling a potentially aggressive or agitated person, and the safety of the person themselves to prevent undue suffering or self-harm. As such, institutions, hospitals, and correctional facilities look for ways to restrain without inflicting harm or undue stress, while maintaining the level of safety and security needed. Restraints used for this purpose are made of heavy-duty leather, easy-care polyurethane, or compact nylon, providing a firm restraint that resists wear and tear while being far more comfortable to wear than metal.

One example of the use of humane restraint systems can be seen in hospitals and psychiatric institutions. In addition to lightweight gait belts, lap belts, and safety belts meant purely to prevent falls, buckling and locking restraints are available to accommodate aggressive patients. These can readily be combined with a restraint bed to provide an ideal platform for securing an individual in comfort and safety. Medical applications may require a secured position to prevent further injury after an accident or during care. For this purpose, non-locking restraints with control straps are used to secure an individual in place safely, often with interior foam padding or disposable fleece liners to provide additional comfort while maintaining a therapeutic state for recovery and safe transport. In this way, emergency medical personnel or hospitals can safely transport an individual without creating movement that may agitate or reopen existing injuries.

Police officers, jails, correctional facilities, and courthouses make use of humane restraint systems as well. While handcuffs are a common restraint mechanism, other restraint options are available. Locking restraints made of leather or polyurethane allow a prisoner to be secured in position in such a way as to minimize self-injury. For example, nylon control straps are used to secure the legs of a violent prisoner for transport, reducing squad car damage and personal injuries by restricting leg movement. Ambulatory restraint systems allow a prisoner’s hands and feet to be secured in a safe position to control movement without requiring behind-the-back cuffing that can result in long-term physical harm. Locking restraints made of leather or polyurethane allow a prisoner to be secured in position in such a way as to minimize self-injury. Transport belts are used with handcuffs to provide greater control over a detained subject, or with the included side cuffs to restrain an individual while keeping their hands separated for greater safety. Emergency restraint chairs provide a locking solution to secure aggressive or dangerous prisoners for transport in such a way as to prevent harm to themselves or others. Leg braces and locking weights allow for a discreet way to restrict the movement of would-be flight hazards during transport outside of a correctional facility, such as during a trial or prisoner transfer.

All of these solutions are designed to enhance the comfort of the restrained individual while still protecting the safety of those around them. For situations where confinement or restriction of movement is required either for medical or security reasons, our Humane Restraint products do exactly what they say - they restrain or restrict an individual from harming others or themselves without inflicting undue suffering or discomfort, and that is why I feel they are truly humane restraints.

– Austin Cushing
Webmaster, Anchortex Corporation

Posted in Medical, Law Enforcement, Correctional, Police and Security, Articles | 1 Comment »