OFF TO JAIL / WHERE ARE THE HANDCUFFS: PART II

September 22, 2009 22:42

So, Thursday was a tour of the jail in the courthouse.  Defendants are held 2 to a cell, and the cells are small and claustrophobic inducing.  It was fascinating to see the serious organizational system that the court officers follow to maintain order, and as Alexandra has already pointed out, I wondered: WHERE ARE THE HANDCUFFS? I asked the kind court officer, who gave us a lengthy tour, about defendants who are violent or struggle with the court officers (some even spit blood at them) - the judge must authorize the use of handcuffs and most judges insist that a defendant be brought to their courtroom without them!




Well, dealing with defendants is a tough job - be it in the Bronx or in Amsterdam.  This is clear.

The Job Swap is an initiative of the Henry Hudson 400 Foundation and BKB, in cooperation with the NY400. The Wildcard contest is organized together with newspapers Het Parool (Amsterdam) and AM New York (New York).