The Truth About Prisoner Seat Belt

By Mattie Knight


Transporting detainees from one venue to another, especially if they are dangerous characters, is a risky business. Inmates often view transportation as an opportunity to abscond. They may plan ahead and formulate a complicated bid for freedom with help from associates both inside and outside the prison. Those who haven't carefully planned and calculated their escape may seize a sudden opportunity. The danger escalates if the inmate comes into potential contact with the public. A secure prisoner seat belt in the transport vehicle is an essential element in accomplishing a trouble-free transfer of personnel.

There are several reasons why prisoners have to be transported. During a trial, they often have to be moved to and from the courtroom every day, sometimes for several weeks. Detainees are often transferred from one prison to another. Still others are driven to hospitals, weddings, funerals and other similar occasions.

The best restraining equipment allows law enforcement officers to place the passenger in the vehicle securely without needing to reach over them. Physical proximity between detainee and his or her escort offers a serious risk of physical harm to both parties. At the very least, the subject should be handcuffed. If there is a known or suspected risk that the subject is violent, it is not uncommon to see them in leg irons especially if they are going to pass through an unsecured area.

Many transport operations occur at night to reduce the possibility of harm to members of the public. Transfers may be carried out by local law enforcement officers or by specially trained outside contractors. Risk assessments are carried out in advance of the transfer, especially if the individual being moved is considered difficult or dangerous.

Close verbal communication among all parties involved in the transfer is essential for an incident-free exchange. This is likely to include the escort team itself, representatives from the originating and receiving venues and anyone who might be affected by the transfer.

In the United States, around 300 prisoners escape each year while being transferred from one location to another. More than two-thirds of these individuals manage to free themselves from caged vehicles and more than four-fifths from the back seat. Ten percent of escorting officers are injured and three percent are killed. While all injuries and deaths are to be avoided, thousands of prison inmates are exchanged between sites every day all over the United States.

Some criminals will stop at nothing to avoid spending the rest of their lives in jail. It is not unheard of for a detainee to try and gain control of the vehicle in an effort to cause a fatal accident. This highlights the need for leaving no stone unturned in an effort to secure the transferee, including handcuffs, leg chains and even body chains if necessary.

Escorting criminals is dangerous work. Management should emphasize this to the staff who will be accompanying the prisoner and assure them that their jobs are an essential element in making the judicial process work.




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