The Devil's Chair - misuse of restraint chairs - Editorial

Progressive, The, April, 2000 by Anne-Marie Cusac

Here are selections from Corcoran's deposition:

"Q. What testing did you do?

A. I put various friends in there. I yanked on [the straps] as hard as I could, and I'm physically apt. I could cause no pain to them whatsoever....

Q. Are there any physical conditions that you believe should lead to a person not being restrained in the chair?

A. No arms, no legs.

Q. All right. So you don't believe the chair should properly be used on amputees or people born without fully developed limbs.

A. The chair wouldn't be functional unless they had appendages....

Q. Is it a fair statement that it's your opinion that the chair is less psychologically traumatizing than the alternatives you mentioned [these included, in Corcoran's words, "four-pointing, chained to a bench, strapped to a bed"]?

A. Yes.

Q. Is that opinion based upon any medical or psychological expert work in the field?

A. No....

Q. Now [your statement of purpose says]: "It is an especially useful tool for restraining drug- or alcohol-affected prisoners," period.

My question, sir, what is your evidence for believing that it is especially useful for people who are on drugs?

A. Because medical restraints at that time are very dangerous.

Q. And what is the basis for saying the medical restraint at that point is dangerous?

A. Because they have not diagnosed what is in their bloodstream already, and whatever is put in there is compounded.

Q. Was there any scientific literature you relied on to come to this conclusion?

A. That's common sense....

Q. Did you do any testing on people who were under the influence of drugs or narcotics?

A. No.

Q. Did you do any testing for people who are under the influence or feeling the effects of alcohol?

A. No....

Q. All right. Now, the last sentence under your "Statement of Purpose": "The chair is not meant to be an instrument of punishment and should not be used as such."

Why did you include that sentence?

A. Because Mexico asked to purchase 200 of them, and I wouldn't sell them to Mexico.

Q. And why wouldn't you sell them to Mexico?

A. As any instrument, car, toilet plunger, they can all be abused. There was too high a potential without--we have a high, much higher standard in this country than other countries do. That's why the chair does work here and people will buy it....

Q. People go to the bathroom while they are seated in the chair. Are there provisions in the design of the chair to evacuate those excretions?

A. Yes.

Q. What are those?

A. Not to evacuate but contain.

Q. What are those?

A. The thing is cupped. Blood-borne pathogens and bodily fluids are contained in the person's clothes. I felt that was a better choice than let the pathogens go into the cell and infect other people....

Q.... Have you looked at any of the literature regarding how long a person can safely be restrained in a Prostraint Chair?

A. There is no literature that I know of....

Q.... Have you done any studies, research, as to the maximum amount of time an individual can be restrained in your restraining chair without causing a physical injury?