This NIJ (National Institute of Justice) Fact Sheet provides information on NIJ's criminal justice restraints standard.
This NIJ Fact Sheet, developed by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC), provides information on the development of NIJ's criminal justice restraints standard. This standard is being developed to update the standard for metallic handcuffs which was published in 1982, to address the advent of new technologies and different types of restraints that have become available since 1982, and to address the problem that improperly or inadequately restrained individuals pose for criminal justice officers, the general public, and themselves. The new standard will include minimum requirements for form and fit, performance, testing, and documentation and labeling of restraints; address wrist and ankle restraints only; and define restraint types based on intended operational use. Four types of restraints based on intended operational use are described: type 1 - those intended for one-time use and discarded; type 2 - reusable restraints intended for a limited number of uses; type 3 - restraints intended to be used multiple times; and type 4 - restraints considered high-security restraints.