New York.- A woman who was detained at Rikers Island filed a lawsuit accusing New York’s correctional system staff of using handcuffs and shackles while she was pregnant, a practice restricted by state law except in extraordinary circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Luz Burke remained in the prison complex between August 2023 and March 2024. According to the legal action, her pregnancy was confirmed by a test near the date of her admission, but even so, she was allegedly restrained during several transfers in and out of the facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lawsuit maintains that Burke was handcuffed when she was taken to psychiatric evaluations, medical consultations, and court appearances. It also notes that on at least one occasion she remained under physical restraints while she was in a hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the claim, both leg shackles and handcuffs were used during approximately the first two months of his detention. Subsequently, they stopped placing restrictions on his legs and, about a month later, they also reportedly suspended the use of handcuffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The accusations are not limited to the use of restraints. Burke also maintains that she did not receive the care and treatment she needed during her time in custody and that she was housed in conditions she considers unsafe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the lawsuit, a facility intended for pregnant detainees had been closed and Burke was placed in a mental health observation dormitory. There, she claims, she was exposed to pepper spray used against other women held in the same space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
New York Correction Law strictly limits the use of physical restraints on pregnant individuals in custody. The regulations allow exceptions only in extraordinary circumstances involving an immediate risk of injury and establish that, when it is essential to restrain the person, restraints must be limited to the wrists and placed in front of the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The legislation also provides for medical care and appropriate conditions for pregnant individuals incarcerated in correctional institutions. The New York Attorney General’s Office further notes that reproductive care, including prenatal and postpartum services, must be available to incarcerated individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The case arises as New York authorities and lawmakers keep the treatment of pregnant women in custody under greater scrutiny. During 2026, the state Legislature advanced measures aimed at strengthening restrictions on the use of handcuffs and other restraint mechanisms during pregnancy, childbirth, and certain police custody situations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New York.- A woman who was detained at Rikers Island filed a lawsuit accusing New York’s correctional system staff of using handcuffs and shackles while she was pregnant, a practice restricted by state law except in extraordinary circumstances. Luz Burke remained in the prison complex between August 2023 and March 2024. According to the legal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133553,"featured_media":522795,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[44549],"tags":[44182,40929,44784],"class_list":["post-522794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-cover","tag-demand","tag-rikers-island"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/phj1q1-2c0a","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/79f61b50-0fc5-11ee-816c-eb33efffe2a0.jpg.webp","dum_api":{"author_name":"F\u00e9lix Abad","author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/39a5ff177de98dc8653e5d28809b69198fa14b4bbfcdb4c999b34fe6646cd495?s=96&d=mm&r=g","categories_name":["New York"],"featured_media_url":"https:\/\/cdn.deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/79f61b50-0fc5-11ee-816c-eb33efffe2a0.jpg.webp"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/133553"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=522794"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522794\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/522795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=522794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=522794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=522794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}