Women in English prisons are being increasingly handcuffed, restrained or subjected to “pain-inducing techniques” by staff, including while pregnant or during hospital examinations, openDemocracy can reveal.

Prison guards’ use of force against women more than doubled in three years, rising from 3,268 incidents in 2021/22 to 6,932 in 2024/25, according to data we obtained from His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) under Freedom of Information laws. The government says such measures should be used only as “a last resort”.

Instances where a woman was physically restrained, which could include her being held face down to the floor, rose by 70% over that time period, while handcuff usage rose by 264%, from 502 occasions to 1,826.

“Use of force” against pregnant women also increased, with 11 cases in 2024/25. It is not clear from the data whether this includes non-contact interventions such as positive communication, and HMPPS refused to answer questions on this, although such techniques would usually fall under “de-escalation” rather than “use of force”. The rest of our data does not include non-contact interventions.