Better data over the use of handcuffs and other restraints on young innocent people in care is needed to help bring an end to the “brutal handcuffing of vulnerable children”, a cross-party group of MPs and peers has said.
In a letter to children’s minister Claire Coutinho, the signatories said they are concerned at what they call the “worrying prevalence” of vulnerable children being restrained and handcuffed unnecessarily by secure transportation providers.
They wrote that there have been instances of “innocent children outside the custodial system” being restrained during transport, but organisers from the Hope Instead Of Handcuffs campaign said the exact number of such instances is not known due to a lack of data.
The letter’s signatories, which include former Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell, the DUP’s Jim Shannon, and peer and ex-Green party leader Baroness Bennett, asked that Ms Coutinho meet with them and members of the campaign group about the issue.
They demanded that the minister “urgently conduct a review of the data gaps in secure transportation, which preclude proper monitoring and scrutiny of providers’ restraint practices”, and said that “accountability and transparency can be increased across the sector”.
Children’s minister Claire Coutinho
The letter added: “Shockingly, many secure transportation providers use restraints such as handcuffs on vulnerable children in care. To be clear, these are innocent children outside the custodial system. Some of these providers even advertise that they use handcuffs on their website.”
They said providers “should be required to record and report any instances of restraint to an appropriate body, which would be appointed by the government to monitor and scrutinise this data”, which they said would “bring secure transportation in line with other areas of the care system, improve transparency, and initiate a cultural change within the sector that will reduce, and ultimately end, the brutal handcuffing of vulnerable children”.
Serenity Welfare, a transport provider, said it does not use handcuffs on children and instead uses “non-violent de-escalation and mentoring as part of a humanistic and compassionate provision of care”.
But it also said other organisations train their staff to use restraint techniques against children, including head control and handcuffing.
Read more:
Call for public inquiry into wrongful rape conviction
Tory ‘chaos and incompetence’ have left families worse off, says Labour
No plans for extra bank holiday if Lionesses win
In 2021, in evidence to the Human Rights (Joint Committee) inquiry on protecting human rights in care settings, Serenity Welfare said: “Many providers of secure transportation services for children in or on the edge of care use handcuffs on innocent children.”
“The practice is unregulated and unmonitored, as there is no obligation on these providers to report any instances of handcuffing to the appropriate authority,” they added.
A spokesperson for the Department for Education said: “The safeguarding and wellbeing of children and young people is of the utmost importance.
“Restraint should only be used in exceptional cases where it is necessary and proportionate; for example, if there was no other way to prevent a child from seriously harming themselves or others.
“We are continuing our work with the Hope Instead Of Handcuffs campaign to explore what further action is needed.”
Five Democratic lawmakers in the US Senate have called on leadership at regulatory agencies to consider the potential conflicts of interest from a stablecoin launched by World Liberty Financial (WLFI), the crypto firm backed by US President Donald Trump’s family.
In a March 28 letter from the US Senate Banking Committee, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and four other Democrats asked the Federal Reserve’s committee chair on supervision and regulation, Michelle Bowman, and acting comptroller of the currency, Rodney Hood, how they intended to regulate WLFI and its stablecoin, USD1.
March 28 letter from five Democratic senators to OCC, Fed leadership. Source: US Senate Banking Committee
The letter came as members of Congress are considering legislation to regulate stablecoins through the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins, or GENIUS Act. The bill, if signed into law, would essentially allow the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and Federal Reserve to oversee stablecoin regulation, including for issuers like WLFI and its USD1 coin.
Trump also signed an executive order in February attempting to have all federal agencies — purportedly including the OCC — “regularly consult with and coordinate policies and priorities” with White House officials, giving the US president unprecedented control.
“President Trump’s involvement in this venture, as he strips financial regulators of their independence and Congress simultaneously considers stablecoin legislation, presents an extraordinary conflict of interest that could create unprecedented risks to our financial system and to the integrity of decisions made by the [Fed and OCC],” said the letter, adding:
“The launch of a stablecoin directly tied to a sitting President who stands to benefit financially from the stablecoin’s success presents unprecedented risks to our financial system.”
Related: Trump’s USD1 stablecoin deepens concerns over conflicts of interest
Since World Liberty launched in September 2024 — months before the US election and Trump’s inauguration — many of the firm’s goals have been shrouded in secrecy. The project’s website notes that Trump and some of his family members control 60% of the company’s equity interests.
As of March 14, World Liberty had completed two public token sales, netting the company a combined $550 million. On March 24, the project confirmed launching its first stablecoin on the BNB Chain and Ethereum. The president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., also pitched USD1 from the DC Blockchain Summit on March 26 with three of WLFI’s co-founders.
Magazine: Trump’s crypto ventures raise conflict of interest, insider trading questions
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) said in a March 28 letter that institutions under its oversight, including banks, can now engage in crypto-related activities without prior approval. The announcement comes as the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced that digital asset derivatives wouldn’t be treated differently than any other derivatives.
The FDIC letter rescinds a previous instruction under former US President Joe Biden’s administration that required institutions to notify the agency before engaging in crypto-related activities. According to the FDIC’s definition:
”Crypto-related activities include, but are not limited to, acting as crypto-asset custodians; maintaining stablecoin reserves; issuing crypto and other digital assets; acting as market makers or exchange or redemption agents; participating in blockchain- and distributed ledger-based settlement or payment systems, including performing node functions; as well as related activities such as finder activities and lending.”
FDIC-supervised institutions should consider associated risks when engaging in crypto-related activities, it said. These risks include market and liquidity risks, operational and cybersecurity risks, consumer protection requirements, and Anti-Money Laundering requirements.
On March 25, the FDIC eliminated the “reputational risk” category from bank exams, opening a path for banks to work with digital assets. Reputational risk is a term that underscores the dangers banks face when engaging with certain industries.
Related: FDIC resists transparency on Operation Chokepoint 2.0 — Coinbase CLO
Digital asset derivatives won’t be treated differently — CFTC
While the US crypto derivatives market had been a gray zone due to regulatory uncertainty, that has been changing. On March 28, the CFTC withdrew a staff advisory letter to ensure that digital asset derivatives — a type of trading product — will not be treated differently from other types of derivatives. The revision is “effective immediately.”
The change in tone from the CFTC and FDIC follows a new environment for crypto firms under US President Donald Trump’s administration. Trump has vowed to make the US “the crypto capital of the planet.”
Crypto firms are shifting strategies to align with the easing regulatory climate. On March 10, Coinbase announced the offer of 24/7 Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) futures. In addition, the company is reportedly planning to acquire Derebit, a crypto derivatives exchange.
Kraken, another US-based cryptocurrency exchange, has also made moves in the derivatives market. On March 20, it announced the acquisition of NinjaTrader, which would allow the exchange to offer crypto futures and derivatives in the United States.
Magazine: Trump’s crypto ventures raise conflict of interest, insider trading questions
US President Donald Trump reportedly issued pardons to three co-founders of the cryptocurrency exchange BitMEX, who had pleaded guilty to felony charges.
According to a March 28 CNBC report, Trump granted pardons to Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo and Samuel Reed, who were facing a range of criminal charges related to money laundering or violations of the Bank Secrecy Act. Hayes and Delo pleaded guilty in February 2022, admitting they “willfully fail[ed] to establish, implement and maintain an Anti-Money Laundering program” at BitMEX, while Reed entered a plea a few weeks later.
Source: Arthur Hayes
At the time of publication, the White House had not released a statement suggesting that Trump planned to pardon the three men. Cointelegraph contacted BitMEX for a comment regarding the pardon, but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
Since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump has issued a number of controversial federal pardons, including to more than 1,500 people facing charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, rioting at the US Capitol and Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, who was in prison for more than 11 years. Reports have suggested that former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in misusing customer funds, was also attempting to cozy up to Trump and Republicans for a potential pardon.
Related: Changpeng Zhao says he ‘wouldn’t mind a pardon’ from Donald Trump
US authorities charged Delo, Reed, Hayes, and Gregory Dwyer — the exchange’s first employee — in 2020 with violations of the Bank Secrecy Act. Hayes, BitMEX’s then-CEO, stepped down from his role amid the legal battle.
The reasons for Trump’s pardon were unclear at the time of publication, as the three men had already been sentenced to a combination of home arrest or probation in 2022. The BitMEX co-founders were also ordered to pay $30 million in penalties as part of a civil case with the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
The exchange’s cases with US authorities included an agreement to pay $100 million in consent payments to both the CFTC and the US Financial Crimes Enforcement Center in 2021. In January, a judge imposed a $100 million fine and two years of unsupervised probation on HDR Global Trading Limited, BitMEX’s parent company.
Magazine: Meet lawyer Max Burwick — ‘The ambulance chaser of crypto’
This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports12 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway