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Handcuffs
(From
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
A pair of standard law
enforcement handcuffs
Handcuffs
are restraint devices designed to secure
an individual's wrists
close together. They comprise two halves, linked together by a chain,
hinge
or in the case of rigid cuffs, a bar. Each half has a rotating part
which engages with a ratchet
which is closed around a person's wrist. Without the key, the person
cannot move their wrists more than a few centimetres/inches apart,
making many tasks difficult or impossible. This is usually done to
prevent suspected criminals
from escaping
police custody.
There is evidence that during the Carthaginian
invasions of
Greece
in c. 2200 B.C., they used metal handcuffs to restrain their Greek
captives.[1]
The English word "handcuff" comes from "handcop."[1]
Styles
There are two distinct subtypes of
contemporary metal handcuffs: one in which the cuffs are held together
by a short chain, and another, of more recent origin, which uses a
hinge for this purpose. Since the hinged handcuffs are somewhat smaller
when fully extended they are seen as being more easily utilized by a
police officer who has relatively small hands, and are also regarded by
some observers as more secure because the wrists end up being held
closer together than with the chain subtype, and are also bound more
rigidly. A third type, the rigid handcuff, has a metal block or bar
between the cuffs. Whilst bulkier to carry it permits several
variations in cuffing and, with one hand cuffed, can be used in control
and restraint techniques. Various accessories are available to improve
the security or increase the rigidity of handcuffs, including boxes
that fit over the chain or hinge and can themselves be locked with a padlock.
Handcuffs may be manufactured from
various metals,
including
carbon steel,
stainless steel
and aluminium,
or from synthetic polymers.
Sometimes two pairs of handcuffs are
needed
to restrain a person with an exceptionally large waistline because the
hands cannot be brought close enough together; in this case, one cuff
on one pair of handcuffs is handcuffed to one of the cuffs on the other
pair, and then the remaining open handcuff on each pair is applied to
the person's wrists. Oversized handcuffs are available from a number of
manufacturers, as are juvenile-sized restraints, though none of the
latter in current production are approved for use by the United States
National Institute of
Justice.
Double locks
Handcuffs with double locks have a
lock-spring which when engaged, usually using the top of the key, stops
the cuff from ratcheting tighter to prevent the subject from tightening
them. Tightening could be intentional or by struggling, when tightened
the handcuffs may cause nerve damage or loss of circulation. Double
locks also make picking the locks more difficult.
Plasticuffs
Plastic restraints, known as wrist ties,
riot cuffs, plasticuffs, flexicuffs, flex-cuffs, tri-fold cuffs, or
zip-strips, are lightweight, disposable plastic strips resembling
electrical cable ties. They can be carried in large quantities by soldiers
and police
and are therefore well-suited for situations where many may be needed,
such as during large-scale protests and riots. In recent years, airlines
began to carry plastic handcuffs as a way to restrain disruptive
passengers. Disposable restraints are considered by many[who?]
to be highly cost-inefficient; they cannot be loosened, and must be cut
off to permit a restrained subject to be fingerprinted, or to attend to
bodily functions. It is not unheard of for a single subject to receive
five or more sets of disposable restraints in their first few hours in
custody. Recent products have been introduced that serve to address
this concern, including disposable plastic restraints that can be
opened or loosened with a key; more expensive than conventional plastic
restraints, they can only be used a very limited number of times, and
are not as strong as conventional disposable restraints, let alone
modern metal handcuffs. In addition, plastic restraints are believed by
many[who?]
to be more likely to inflict nerve or soft-tissue damage to the wearer
than metal handcuffs.[citation needed]
Leg irons
Standard type legirons
made in Taiwan
On occasions when a suspect exhibits
extremely aggressive behavior, leg irons
may be used as well; sometimes the chain connecting the leg irons to
one another is looped around the chain of the handcuffs, and then the
leg irons are applied, resulting in the person being "hog-tied".
In a few rare cases, hog-tied persons lying on their stomachs have died
from positional asphyxia,
making the practice highly controversial, and leading to its being
severely restricted, or even completely banned, in many localities.
Universal handcuff key
Keys
Most modern handcuffs in Canada,
the
United States,
the
United Kingdom
and
Latin America
can be opened with the same standard universal handcuff key. This
allows for easier transport of prisoners and keeps one out of trouble
if one loses one's keys. However, there are handcuff makers who use
keys based on different standards. Maximum security handcuffs require
special keys. Handcuff keys usually do not work with thumbcuffs.
Recently, a number of padlocks
have been marketed which use this same standard key.
Hand
positioning
Old handcuffs
In the past, police officers typically
handcuffed arrested persons with their hands in front of them, but
since approximately the mid-1960s behind-the-back handcuffing has been
the standard. The vast majority of police academies in the United States
today also teach their recruits to apply handcuffs so that the palms of
the suspect's hands face outward after the handcuffs are applied; the Jacksonville, Florida
Police Department and the Los Angeles County
Sheriff's Department
are notable exceptions, as they favor palms-together handcuffing. In
addition, suspects are handcuffed with the keyholes facing up (away
from the hands) to make it difficult to open them even with a key or
improvised pick.
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