The Use of Restraint
Tuesday, April 1st, 2008 by Chris PayneOn reading the House of Parliament’s Joint Commission on Human Rights Report, The Use of Restraint in Secure Training Centres, published on 07 March 2008, I was reminded of the writings of David Wills. The report reflects the controversy that has existed about the use of physical restraint in England’s four privately-run secure training centres. The debate has been fired by the deaths in custody of 15-year-old Gareth Myatt and 14-year-old Adam Rickwood in April and August 2004 respectively.
Gareth, who weighed 6 and a half stones, died from suffocation after being physically restrained by three custody officers in his cell. The incident was prompted by his refusal to obey an instruction to clean a toaster. Adam Rickwood committed suicide soon after being subject to physical restraint, which involved the application of a technique known as the “nose distraction” technique. In December 2007 the Government suspended the use of “nose distraction” and another technique called the “double basket hold”.
David Wills
This describes what David Wills did as an act of restraint.
“One day
Tags: CCTV, David Wills, Electronic surveillance, Hawkspur Experiment, Restraint, Risk assessment, Secure Training Units, Secure Units, Training, Violence
August 11th, 2008 at 2:07 am
Thank you for your article. I found it very infornative and helpful. I an also appalled by it’s use.
(parent of a young disabled child who has been subjected to unreasonable restraint and consequently is now under the care of a paedeatric psychiatrist!)