It has been six months since Prisons Minister Lord Timpson commissioned an independent investigation into the barbaric practice of handcuffing pregnant women during antenatal appointment, intimate examinations and labour.
Yet, despite the urgency of the issue, the Ministry of Justice has failed to published the scope and Terms of Reference, leaving the investigation in limbo. The firm has written pre action correspondence to the Secretary of State for Justice arguing that the investigation must be independent, must allow for oral evidence, appropriate scrutiny of both systemic policy failures and individual misconduct.
See press release here.
Jane Ryan and Renata Sweeney act for the group of pregnant women handcuffed.
