Access to Justice
Woman gives birth during arraignment in NYC courtroom
The Kings County, New York, criminal court and summons clerk’s office are located in the Brooklyn Central Courts Building in October 2020 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Mark Lennihan/The Associated Press)
A woman gave birth in a Brooklyn, New York City, courtroom Friday as she was waiting to appear before a judge on low-level charges.
Samantha Randazzo, who is 33, delivered her baby boy “on a courtroom bench without adequate medical care, privacy or dignity,” according to an NBC News story that cited a joint statement from the Legal Aid Society and several public defender organizations that were present at the time. She had gone into labor during her arraignment, just hours after being released from the hospital.
Randazzo was arrested for drug possession and trespassing Thursday, according to the New York Times, which also has coverage. Police said Randazzo was wearing baggy clothes and did not inform them that she was pregnant until early Friday, when she also told them that she was experiencing drug withdrawal symptoms.
Police took her to the hospital, and after she was discharged, they brought her to the criminal court, the New York Times reports.
The New York Times also reports that there are conflicting accounts about what happened in the courtroom. Randazzo’s lawyer Wynton Sharpe said court officers jumped into action to help Randazzo deliver her baby. But the Legal Aid Society and the public defender organizations said she was forced to give birth in restraints.
“This is a horrific example of many, many system failures,” Tina Luongo, the chief attorney of the Legal Aid Society’s criminal defense practice, told the New York Times.
Al Baker, a spokesman for the New York Office of Court Administration, told the New York Times that Randazzo’s wrists were cuffed behind her back until the court realized that she was in labor. He said they were removed, and she was not restrained in any other way.
Randazzo’s case is expected to be dismissed, the New York Times reports.
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