- 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.
IN FULL
