Inmates are tied face down to the board at the ankles, thighs, pelvis, wrists, upper arms and chest. The inmate's head is turned to one side, and two additional straps hold it firmly against the board.
Movement is impossible.
The lawsuit comes just two weeks after the death of inmate Michael Lewis, who died on February 7 shortly after spending several hours strapped to the board, his second time on the board that day. The lawsuit alleges that several hundred inmates have been strapped to the board in the last few years, some for as long as 12 hours. In contrast, the Denver County Jail, with more than twice as many inmates, uses a full-body restraint device only about ten times a year. According to the suit, the jail uses the board far too frequently, without appropriate supervision by medical personnel, in situations where its use or the duration of its use is excessive and unnecessary, and in a manner that is malicious and cruel. According to the ACLU, it is the routine practice of the Sheriff's Department to deny inmates permission to use a bathroom while they are on the board.