AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PROTESTS STUN-BELT USE

The Nation's court bailiffs and prison guards increasingly are
strapping inmates into stun belts capable of delivering a 50,000-volt
shock, Amnesty International USA said Tuesday,urging an end to the practice.

The U.S. Bureau of Prisons has 40 of the battery-operated belts for
use when transporting dangerous prisoners. In New Orleans, the Old
Parish Prison routinely uses the belts on inmates being taken to a
hospital mates being taken to a hospital for AIDS treatment. In Los
Angeles, an inmate who was shocked for interrupting a judge is suing
the county.

Amnesty International USA said Tuesday that the belts are inhumane and
dangerous.

Federal prison officials defend the technology as a nonlethal way to
deter violent behavior and protect guards, and say the belts are used
under strict guidelines.