Handcuffs are commonly used by law enforcement all around the world. While handcuffs can have a role in policing, Omega’s research shows that they are often used to violate human rights, including in acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. For example, handcuffs may cause harm when they are overtightened, used for long periods of time, used in stress positions, or used to handcuff people together.
Harmful use of handcuffs can cause a range of injuries, including hyperextension of limbs and lacerations, as well as secondary injuries from falls. Handcuffs can be connected by a chain, hinge or rigid bar. Handcuffs that are connected by a rigid bar can be used to lever a suspect into submission.
Some states, including Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States, have controls on the trade in this equipment. As a consequence of their use in human rights violations, including torture, Omega advocates for the trade in standard handcuffs to be controlled, to ensure they are not in the hands of those who will use them for harm.
Handcuffs should only be used when strictly necessary to prevent escape or physical harm, and only in accordance with international human rights and policing standards. Specific attention should be paid to their use on vulnerable groups. Where children are concerned, for example, handcuffs should only be used “in exceptional cases, where all other control methods have been exhausted and failed, and only as explicitly authorized and specified by law and regulation” (UNGA, 1991).