Defendant ‘forced to give birth in handcuffs’ in NYC courtroom
Critics are calling for the NYPD and the city’s court system to be investigated after the incident (file photo) (AFP/Getty)
A 33-year-old woman, Samantha Randazzo, was “forced to give birth in handcuffs” in a Brooklyn courthouse on Friday, after being held in custody for over 24 hours.
Legal aid groups said that Randazzo was “traumatized and humiliated” and delivered her child “without adequate medical care, privacy, or dignity,” surrounded by law enforcement and court staff.
Randazzo had been arrested on Thursday for drug possession and trespassing, and was brought to court for arraignment after being discharged from a hospital despite being nine months pregnant.
Public defenders and legal advocates are demanding an investigation into the incident, calling it a “profound moral failure” of the carceral system.
Randazzo’s lawyer, Wynton Sharpe, disputed some of the claims, saying that court officers reacted quickly and the presiding judge cleared the room immediately.
