SC gov signs bill banning shackling of pregnant inmates

COLUMBIA, SC (AP) – News outlets report South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster signed a bill banning jails and prisons from using leg, waist and ankle restraints on pregnant women and women in labor.

The new law would also require pregnant inmates to only be handcuffed in front so they can try to brace themselves if they fall.

The lead sponsor of the bill said it took a lot of people coming together on both sides of the aisle to make sure the bill was approved.

State prisons ended the practice in early 2019. The new law codifies those protections and includes protections for pregnant women in local jails.