A belly chain (also known as a waist chain or Martin chain) is a

physical restraint Physical restraint refers to means of purposely limiting or obstructing the freedom of a person's bodily movement. Basic methods Usually, binding objects such as handcuffs, legcuffs, ropes, chains, straps or straitjackets are used fo ...

worn by

prisoner A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...

s, consisting of a

chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A c ...

around the

waist The waist is the part of the abdomen between the rib cage and hips. On people with slim bodies, the waist is the narrowest part of the torso. ''Waistline'' refers to the horizontal line where the waist is narrowest, or to the general appearan ...

, to which the prisoner's hands may be chained or cuffed. Sometimes the ankles are also connected by means of longer chains.

Usage

Such restraints are often used in the United States in

courtroom A courtroom is the enclosed space in which courts of law are held in front of a judge. A number of courtrooms, which may also be known as "courts", may be housed in a courthouse. In recent years, courtrooms have been equipped with audiovisual ...

s, or for transporting prisoners, or in other public situations as a safeguard against escape. They are used above all when detainees are to be restrained over a longer period of time, for example during transport or at court hearings. Belly chains are used because there still remains a relatively large freedom of movement to the detainee when their hands are cuffed in front of the body. As an alternative, the hands could be cuffed behind the detainee's back, but this will soon inflict discomfort and even pain when being handcuffed like this for a longer period of time. Therefore, as a more gentle but almost equally secure alternative to cuffing the detainee's hands behind their back, the hands are cuffed to a belly chain and thus shackled to the detainee's waist.

Types

There are essentially two types of belly chains: *One type consists of a chain with

handcuffs Handcuffs are Physical restraint, restraint devices designed to secure an individual's wrists in proximity to each other. They comprise two parts, linked together by a Link chain, chain, a hinge, or rigid bar. Each cuff has a rotating arm whi ...

attached to the front or at the side. ''Peerless Model 7002'' or ''Smith & Wesson Model 1800'' have the handcuffs attached on both sides by a short chain. This allows some movement (e. g. for signing court papers or pointing at pieces of evidence during testimony), though restricting arm motion to prevent the prisoner from butting or hitting. ''CTS Thompson Model 7008'' has the handcuffs attached on the sides too, but the handcuffs are directly linked to the belly chain, so that the detainee's hands are tightly attached to their waist; compared to the other models, this provides a rather more severe restraint. Furthermore, there are combinations like ''Peerless Model 7705'', where the belly chain is connected by a longer chain with a pair of

leg irons Legcuffs are physical restraints used on the ankles of a person to allow walking only with a restricted stride and to prevent running and effective physical resistance. Frequently used alternative terms are leg cuffs, (leg/ankle) shackles, foot ...

. This type of combination further restricts the detainee's freedom of movement and prevents them from running and escape; the chain running down from the belly chain to the leg irons holds the leg irons' chain just off the ground to prevent it from dragging and catching. Such combinations are commonly referred to as "full harness" or "H-style" restraints. When applying this type of belly chain, the chain is first placed tightly around the detainee's waist and secured behind the back with a

padlock Padlocks are portable locks with a shackle that may be passed through an opening (such as a chain link, or hasp staple) to prevent use, theft, vandalism or harm. Naming and etymology The term ''padlock'' is from the late fifteenth century. T ...

. Then, the handcuffs are put on the detainee's wrists; the cuffs should always be double locked once applied. In the standard procedure, the prisoner's hands are fixed either in front of the body or parallel at the side of the waist, thus limiting the detainee's freedom of movement. When using such a belly chain to restrain high-risk inmates, the detainee can also be shackled with their arms crossed so that the left wrist is placed in the cuff on the right side of their waist and vice versa. This high-security use reminds of a

straitjacket A straitjacket is a garment shaped like a jacket with long sleeves that surpass the tips of the wearer's fingers. Its most typical use is restraining people who may cause harm to themselves or others. Once the wearer slides their arms into the ...

. * The other type consists of a chain with slightly larger links and a steel loop (called ''martin link'') at one end. The chain is placed around the detainee's waist and the steel loop is plugged through a chain link. Then, a pair of

is inserted in the loop and the cuffs are then put on the detainee's wrists; again, the handcuffs should be double locked when applied. The loose end of the belly chain can be secured with a snap hook or a

behind the detainee's back. As in this configuration the belly chain cannot be removed unless the handcuffs have been removed first, this type of belly chain does not necessarily need a padlock for fixing. Also, the length of the chain is designed to fit around the waist of almost every person, including slim and rather stout individuals. For high security transports, the ''martin link'' belly chain can be used with security

handcuff cover A handcuff cover is a piece of plastic or metal that can be placed around a pair of handcuffs. It consists of a hinged, box-like assembly locked over the handcuff chain, wristlets and keyholes. The first handcuff cover was invented by J.D. Cullip a ...

s such as the ''C & S Security Black Box'' or the ''CTS Thompson Blue Box''. These are hard plastic boxes with a metallic slider and are placed over the handcuffs so that the key holes are hidden by the box. On the one hand, the security cover prevents the detainee from manipulating the keyhole of the handcuffs, for instance if they gets hold of a handcuff key or a lockpick. On the other hand, freedom of movement is further restricted, as the handcuff cover converts standard chain link handcuffs into rigid cuffs.

Restraint belts

Leather or nylon belts are often used instead of belly chains. These restraint belts have a metal ring on the front, through which the

are plugged and then put on the detainee's wrists. The belt is then placed around the detainee's waist and secured with a buckle; some models can also be locked with a

Gallery

The following pictures illustrate the different types of restraints and their application: File:Prisoner in belly chain 02.jpg, Inmate in belly chain with the arms cuffed parallel at the side File:Prisoner in belly chain with arms crossed (high security).jpg, Inmate in belly chain with the arms crossed (high security restraint) File:Full harness 2.jpg, Inmate in "full harness" transport restraints File:Prisoner in transport restraints.jpg, "full harness" transport restraint (detail) File:Belly chain lock.jpg, Belly chain secured behind an inmate's back with a padlock File:CTS waist chains 01.jpg, Inmate in belly chain with the handcuffs directly attached to the chain at the sides File:Inmate martin chain.jpg, Inmate in belly chain with martin link File:Inmate martin chain zoom.jpg, Closeup of martin link belly chain File:Justice center inmate 4.jpg, Inmate in belly chain with a handcuff cover (parallel position) File:Handcuffed inmate closeup.jpg, Closeup of parallel position File:Justice center inmate 1.jpg, Inmate in belly chain with a handcuff cover (front stack position) File:Inmate in high security restraints (4).jpg, Closeup of front stack File:Inmate with transport restraint belt.jpg, Inmate in hinged handcuffs attached to a leather belt File:Prisoner transport belt (back view).jpg, Restraint belt (back view) File:Handcuffed inmate transport belt.jpg, Inmate in transport belt with handcuffs attached at the sides File:ASP transport kit.jpg, Inmate in ASP transport kit

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Belly Chain (Restraint) Chains Physical restraint Law enforcement equipment Penal imprisonment