Prisons service to cut back on handcuffing of detainees

The Israel Prisons Service has reportedly relaxed its strict guidelines on handcuffing prisoners and detainees, with officers now allowed to use their own discretion in deciding whether sufficient danger is posed by a detainee to warrant the measure.

Prisons Service regulations, drawn up in the wake of past escapes by prisoners, require the handcuffing of all detainees.

The decision by service chief Ofra Klinger to ease the rules was prompted by the arrest in August of protest leaders Eldad Yaniv and Menny Naftali, who were put in handcuffs even after a judge ordered their release, Channel 2 reported Sunday.

Yaniv and Naftali are key figures in the ongoing protests calling for the prosecution of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in several graft probes. Their arrest and public appearance in a courtroom in handcuffs drew a public outcry.

Under the new directives, officers will be given the authority to decide whether or not to handcuff a prisoner or detainee when they are outside prison walls, based on whether or not they believe the individual presents a danger to those around them or a potential flight risk.

According to Channel 2, the Israel Police disagreed with the Prisons Service, recommending leaving the current guidelines in place.