Restraining chairs are another method of restricting inmates' movement. In some cases they have become a routine method of control, and have reportedly been used to torture and punish inmates. In 1997, another woman in the same jail was reportedly held in the chair, naked and hooded, for more than eight hours in full view of male guards and other jail staff who taunted and ridiculed her. The use of stun belts and stun shields has potentially dangerous consequences for inmates, but are increasingly used in US facilities. In Muncy Prison, Pennsylvania, in 1996, prison staff used an 'Electronic Body Immobilizer Device' to subdue a woman who was distraught after a warrant had been read for her execution.
Few states have effective, independent bodies to monitor how inmates are treated.
Hidden behind the walls of prisons and jails, untold numbers of women continue to suffer human rights abuses. Susan Shinn is paralysed below the waist and requires a wheelchair. She is one of a group of six women who claim that, for over five years, they suffered 'legalised sexual molestation' at Albion prison, New York State. US equal opportunities law means men cannot be refused employment in female facilities. Male guards may be required to conduct pat-frisk body searches, and view women while they are undressed.