Legal advocates, public defenders and elected officials gathered outside Brooklyn courthouses on May 18, demanding accountability after a 33-year-old woman gave birth on a courtroom bench while handcuffed and awaiting arraignment on low-level criminal charges.
The incident, which advocates described as a preventable medical crisis and a profound failure of New York City’s criminal justice system, has sparked renewed scrutiny over conditions inside Brooklyn Criminal Court and the treatment of people in custody.
According to reporting by Brooklyn Paper, Samantha Randazzo was arrested on Thursday, May 14, 2026, on charges of drug possession and trespassing. While in the custody of the New York Police Department, Randazzo reportedly informed officers she was pregnant and experiencing medical distress.
She was transported to South Brooklyn Health in Coney Island at approximately 3:30 a.m. On Friday, before being discharged later that evening around 8 p.m., authorities brought her to Brooklyn Criminal Court for arraignment.
Advocates say Randazzo’s water broke at approximately 11:30 p.m. Friday. Moments later, she delivered a baby boy inside the courtroom.
Members of the Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys (ALAA)–UAW Local 2325, The Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services and other legal organizations rallied outside the Brooklyn Central Courts Building and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office following the incident.
Witnesses described chaotic and traumatic conditions surrounding the birth.
A joint statement issued by multiple public defense organizations alleged that Randazzo gave birth while handcuffed and surrounded by court officers, prosecutors and other courtroom personnel without privacy or adequate medical care.
The statement further alleged that some staff members joked during the ordeal while legal proceedings continued around her.
Kendall Cox, a staff attorney with Brooklyn Defender Services who witnessed the incident firsthand, called the situation “the greatest indignity.”
“She deserved to give birth under the care of medical professionals in a sterile environment with the support, safety, and privacy that all giving birth should receive,” Cox said during the rally. “To say that the courthouse was transformed into a labor and delivery unit makes a mockery of the condition she endured.”
Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
Elena Beeley, a paralegal with The Legal Aid Society who was also present, said it was immediately clear Randazzo was experiencing a medical emergency.
“She had already delivered before an officer managed to make it to her person to help her with the baby,” Beeley told Brooklyn Paper, estimating that medical personnel took approximately 10 minutes to arrive and that an ambulance arrived roughly 10 minutes later.
Court officials disputed portions of the advocates’ account.
Al Baker, spokesperson for the Office of Court Administration, stated that Randazzo was handcuffed but not shackled to the bench and said officers removed the handcuffs once it became clear she was in labor.
“When it became clear she was in labor, police officers removed her handcuffs; so, she had no cuffs on, at all, when the Court Officers successfully delivered the baby,” Baker said in a statement. “Our team of uniformed UCS officers acted with swift professionalism to ensure the safety and sanctity of life for all individuals in Court on Friday.”
Officials said both mother and child were doing well following the birth.
Still, advocates and local lawmakers said the incident exposed deeper systemic failures inside Brooklyn’s criminal courts.
New York City Council Member Shahana Hanif called the situation “despicable” and accused the court system of repeated negligence involving medical emergencies.
“It is a tragedy that a young woman was in an open court awaiting a prosecution, as opposed to getting protection from a hospital,” Hanif said.
Former New York City Comptroller and congressional candidate Brad Lander described the ordeal as “extraordinarily egregious.”
“How our systems could allow for someone who was in distress, for someone who was ill, for someone who had been admitted to a hospital to instead be forced to come here in handcuffs and give birth while being arraigned is something that should shock the conscience of all New Yorkers,” Lander said.
Advocates also linked the incident to broader concerns over delays and medical neglect inside Brooklyn Criminal Court.
According to organizers, three people have died at the courthouse since March 2025, while others in custody have allegedly been denied timely medical care.
Legal Aid Society attorney Frances Grail-Bingham, who said she was present during the death of a Legal Aid client in police custody last year, warned that Friday’s incident was not isolated.
“What happened on Friday is shocking, but not surprising,” Grail-Bingham said. “It’s not the first time horrible torture has been inflicted on someone for no reason in this building, and it won’t be the last unless we make it.”
Advocates are now calling for full investigations into the conduct of the NYPD, the Office of Court Administration, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office and New York City Health and Hospitals.
They are also pushing for reforms including the restoration of medical personnel inside courthouses, an end to arraignments for many low-level offenses and expanded use of desk appearance tickets instead of prolonged detention for minor charges.
A spokesperson for the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office confirmed that the charges against Randazzo were ultimately dismissed.
