Citation:
Miller CD. Ronald S. Federici promotes the use of potentially lethal forceful-prone-restraint techniques for restraining children (An Opinion Paper). Restraint Asphyxia Library; February, 2009. Updated in May of 2009. Updated in June and August of 2010. http://www.charlydmiller.com/LIB13/2009FebFedericiPage.html
PREFACE:
Anyone who is familiar with the dangers of forceful-prone-restraint will easily recognize why it is My Opinion that Federici’s Holding Technique is so potentially lethal.
If you haven’t already familiarized yourself with how and why forceful-prone-restraint can interfere with breathing, Plz read: Restraint Asphyxia – Silent Killer
Almost all the documents referenced within that article can be found in the Restraint Asphyxia LIBRARY.
Plz feel free to read any or all of those articles, as well!
Every time I use Bold Blue Text, it is to remind the reader that this is an OPINION PAPER!
To review my Credentials, go to CHAS' Old RESUME
Bold Navy-Colored Text is used to identify Direct Quotes from the external resources and/or references that I cite.
Although the United States Code §17-107, relating to “fair use” of copyrighted material allows Internet-posting of properly-referenced quotes and images for “purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching … scholarship, or research,” Ronald S. Federici filed a Digital Millennium Copyright Act complaint against my website for doing so when I originally posted this paper. Rather than legally battling to defend my properly referenced use of his material, in May of 2009 I PARAPHRASED Federici’s restraint directions, and created a REPRESENTATION of a SINGLE line-drawing image from his book, in order to support my OPINION about Federici’s restraint techniques.
 [The photo above is NOT intended to represent a “Federici Method” of restraint.] |
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PRONE position by sitting on her/his HIPS (preventing them from rocking to the side and allowing even the tiniest bit of room for abdominal excursion), and leaning on her/his TORSO, could cause that Child to
a Potentially Lethal manner of SINGLE ADULT application of forceful-prone-restraint. |
MORE DANGEROUS than THAT!
With the weight of ONE Adult on the Child’s
ADDITIONALLY, Federici directs that the |
|
 [Above is a factual and accurate REPRESENTATION of a line drawing found within Federici’s book, created to demonstrate the final manner of his Holding Technique. (Plz forgive my poor computer graphics skills!)] |
MORE FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
Anyone who kills a child while performing Federici’s forceful-prone-restraint holding technique runs the risk of being charged with HOMICIDE!
Though it has been discussed by many since the mid-1990’s, in March of 2000, Forensic Pathologists O’Halloran and Frank were (I believe) the first to put it in writing: Death that occurs due to individuals employing and maintaining an asphyxial manner of restraint is not an ACCIDENT – it is HOMICIDE.
“Because restraint asphyxia deaths are ‘deaths at the hands of another,’ it has been
argued that they should be considered homicides. … Considering the amount of
discussion during the past decade [prior to March, 2000] in the forensic pathology,
emergency medicine, and law enforcement literature regarding the risks of death
during [application of forceful-prone-restraint techniques], the argument for classification
as accident becomes weaker.”
In February of 2002, the National Association of Medical Examiners (“NAME”) approved a
“Guide For Manner of Death Classification” wherein they specifically stated:
“Deaths due to positional restraint induced by law enforcement personnel or
to choke holds or other measures to subdue may be classified as Homicide.”
Click Here To Read NAME’s Feb 2002 Death Classification Guide
PLZ NOTE: The application of NAME’s Feb 2002 Death Classification ruling is NOT limited to restraint-
related deaths caused by “law enforcement personnel.” It also applies to deaths caused by ANY type of
restrainers (including Parents or other Care Providers) who were employing an asphyxial manner of
restraint at the time of ANY individual’s DEATH – whether due to prone, supine, or seated manners of
ASPHYXIAL RESTRAINT TECHNIQUES!
After NAME’s 2002 ruling, medical examiners (even some forensic pathologists) were slow to adopt this classification, especially when law enforcement personnel were involved. But, as restraint asphyxia deaths continued to occur, medical examiners and forensic pathologists began to realize that they must classify these deaths as homicides, or lose their credibility as medical professionals.
These days (2009 and BEYOND), the medical examiner or forensic pathologist who still classifies
a RESTRAINT ASPHYXIA death as “accident” is a rare (and very suspicious) bird.
I don’t routinely post articles about restraint asphyxia deaths that have been appropriately classified
as homicides. However, it happens that in February of 2009 I posted TWO of them:
17 Year Old Faith Finley’s Dec 2008 Prone Restraint Death Was Ruled a Homicide7 Year Old Angellika Arndt’s May 2006 Prone Restraint Death Was Ruled a Homicide
To see many more articles evidencing the fact that a HOMICIDE classification for restraint asphyxia deaths has finally become the NORM, just Google, “Restraint Homicide” or “Restraint Asphyxia Homicide,” or other variations of similar terms.
SUMMARY
WITH THE ABOVE EXPLANATIONS AND REFERENCES,
I Have Demonstrated Why It Is MY OPINION That:
Sincerely Yours,
CHAS
(Ms. Charly D. Miller)
Email Charly at: c-d-miller@neb.rr.com