The “Strapped Down” series investigated the use of restraint chairs in county jails. The Illinois Answers Project revealed that Illinois jails use the devices on average more than a thousand times a year and sometimes restrained people with mental illnesses for hours to days on end.
For the final stories in the series, we’re examining how three other states have addressed the use and misuse of restraint chairs:
Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania, the department of corrections collects and publishes annual data on restraint chair use in county jails statewide. The data helped Allegheny County residents identify high rates of use at their jail, and a sequence of factors — the election of a formerly incarcerated person to local office, a class-action lawsuit and a community organizing campaign — propelled the nation’s first successful referendum to ban the use of restraint chairs in a county jail.
California
In California, a mentally ill man died after he was restrained in a chair for two days at San Luis Obispo County Jail. In response, the man’s family spoke out, prompting local reforms, Justice Department intervention, a watchdog report and changes to state regulations.
Iowa
And in Iowa, the state ombudsman investigated complaints of restraint chair abuse at two jails, prompting changes. The ombudsman recommended updates to state regulations — and stressed the challenges of achieving lasting reform without enshrining changes in state rules.
Read the original investigation here.
![[Video] Strapped Down: Investigating Restraint Chairs in Illinois Jails](https://i0.wp.com/illinoisanswers.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/B0011836.jpg?fit=1200%2C9999&ssl=1)
