Restraints

Restraints are methods, devices, or interventions used to limit a person’s movement, behavior, or access to parts of their body or environment. They are employed in various settings to reduce risk, prevent harm, or enable treatment, but they raise important questions about safety, autonomy, and rights. The goal in most systems is to use the least restrictive option possible and to withdraw restraints as soon as it is safe to do so.

Types of restraints commonly encountered include physical or mechanical restraints, such as belts, cuffs, straps, immobilization devices, or bed rails; chemical restraints, which involve medications administered primarily to control agitation or behavior rather than to treat a medical condition; and environmental restraints, which are modifications to the surroundings that limit movement in some contexts. Seclusion or isolation is related and is sometimes used in conjunction with restraints under specific procedures and safeguards.

Restraint use spans several sectors. In healthcare and mental health, restraints are typically governed by clinical protocols that emphasize patient safety, consent where feasible, monitoring, and regular review. Law enforcement and security contexts use restraints to secure individuals and prevent escape or harm, under legal and policy controls. In education and juvenile services, restraint policies aim to protect students while minimizing harm. In veterinary and animal care, restraints help handlers perform procedures safely.

Ethical and legal considerations focus on minimizing harm, respecting dignity, obtaining appropriate authority, documenting the rationale, and providing ongoing monitoring and debriefing. Risks include physical injury, nerve or circulatory damage, suffocation, and psychological trauma, underscoring the emphasis on training, oversight, and the pursuit of alternatives whenever possible.