E/CN.4/1998/38 page 40 United States of America 198. By letter dated 17 November 1997, Government that he had received reports of the use of excessive force by police Department (NYPD) and the ill-treatment the Special Rapporteur informed the addressing in particular allegations officers in the New York City Police of inmates in prisons. 199. Excessive physical force by police officers in the NYPD had allegedly been used in the course of arrests, disputes in public places and sometimes in police custody. Repeated kicking and punching with fists, batons or other objects were the most frequently reported forms of ill-treatment. Sometimes, force was said to have been used after the suspect had already been handcuffed or otherwise restrained. In some cases, suspects were said to have died after police officers had forcibly restrained them. Practices of applying pressure to the chest or neck, or placing suspects face-down in restraints with resulting restrictions on respiratory movement may have led to asphyxia and were in some cases said to have been fatal. Victims were said to come from various backgrounds although many were alleged to be members of racial minorities. 200. Regarding the ill-treatment of inmates in prisons, concerns had been expressed that the reintroduction of chain gangs in the States of Alabama, Arizona, Florida and others might constitute a form of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Prisoners in chain gangs were reportedly required to perform heavy manual labour, such as rock-breaking or clearing rubbish from the highway, while shackled together (or with their own legs chained together) with metal chains, exposed to the public. In Alabama, for example, prisoners attached to chain gangs were said to have to work 10-12 hours a day dressed in work suits imprinted with the words “Alabama chain gang”. The chain gangs were said to be guarded by armed officers and dogs. Prisoners reportedly had to remain chained when using toilet facilities. Apparently, efforts had been undertaken to prohibit the practice in Alabama, but the outcome was not known to the Special Rapporteur. Reports concerning Alabama had further alleged the practice of handcuffing prisoners to a hitching rail in the hot sun as punishment for refusal to work, causing numbness, dizziness and pain. 201. Allegations had also been received concerning the abusive use of electro-shock stun belts and stun guns. According to the information received, stun devices, which incapacitate an inmate by transmitting electric shocks, can reportedly cause high levels of pain and may result in serious injuries, possibly even death in certain circumstances. Prolonged or repeated application of stun devices is allegedly not sufficiently prevented by their technological design. Reportedly, the devices may also have indiscriminate effects in that people in contact with the target can receive shocks as well. Although some States, including New York, Illinois and New Jersey, as well as Washington D.C., had reportedly banned the use of stun weapons for law enforcement and correctional purposes, they were still said to be used in several other States. Remote-controlled electro-shock stun belts had reportedly been introduced by a decision of the Federal Bureau of Prisons in 1994 to prevent high-risk inmates from escaping during transportation and court appearances. Although the exact medical effects of the stun belt were reportedly still unknown, its use was said to have been promoted as an