Editing Handcuffs (section)

==Styles==
=== Metal handcuffs ===
[[File:Lips handboeien.jpg|thumb|Hinged handcuffs used by Dutch police]]
There are three main types of contemporary metal handcuffs: chain (cuffs are held together by a short chain), hinged (since hinged handcuffs permit less movement than a chain cuff, they are generally considered to be more secure), and rigid solid bar handcuffs. While bulkier to carry, rigid handcuffs permit several variations in cuffing. [[Hiatts Speedcuffs]] are rigid handcuffs used by most police forces in the United Kingdom.  Both rigid and hinged cuffs can be used one-handed to apply pain-compliance/control techniques that are not workable with the chain type of cuff. Various accessories are available to improve the security or increase the rigidity of handcuffs, including boxes that fit over the chain or hinge and can themselves be locked with a [[padlock]].

In 1933 the Royal Canadian Mounted Police used a type called "Mitten Handcuffs" to prevent criminals from being able to grab an object like the officer's gun.  While used by some in law enforcement it was never popular.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=6CcDAAAAMBAJ&dq=motor+gun+boat&pg=PA27 "Mitten Handcuffs Secure Criminal", October 1933, Popular Science] middle of page 27, right side</ref>

Handcuffs may be manufactured from various [[metal]]s, including [[carbon steel]], [[stainless steel]] and [[aluminium]], or from synthetic [[polymer]]s.

Sometimes two pairs of handcuffs are needed to restrain a person with an exceptionally large waistline because the hands cannot be brought close enough together; in this case, one cuff on one pair of handcuffs is handcuffed to one of the cuffs on the other pair, and then the remaining open handcuff on each pair is applied to the person's wrists. Oversized handcuffs are available from a number of manufacturers.

The National Museum of Australia has a number of handcuffs in its collection dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These include 'T'-type 'Come Along', 'D'-type and 'Figure-8' handcuffs.<ref>[http://www.nma.gov.au/collections-search/results?search=adv&type=Handcuffs Handcuffs from the National Museum of Australia collection]</ref>

{{gallery
|mode=packed
|height=200
|File:Handcuffs Lincoln assassination.jpg|Handcuffs which were worn by the suspects while being tried for [[assassination of President Lincoln|assassinating President Lincoln]].
|File:Hiatt104Darby.JPG|Hiatt type 104 "Darby" handcuffs and key. {{circa|1950s}}
}}

===Plastic handcuffs===
{{Main|Plastic handcuffs}}
{{Unreferenced section|date=November 2013}}
[[File:Yugoslav EPWs detained in Kosovo by the USMC's 26th MEU (July 1999).jpg|thumb|Zip-tied [[Serbia and Montenegro|Yugoslav]] [[prisoners of war]] in July 1999, following the [[Kosovo War]]]]
Plastic restraints, known as wrist ties, riot cuffs, plasticuffs, flexicuffs, flex-cuffs, tri-fold cuffs, zapstraps, zipcuffs, or zip-strips, are lightweight, disposable plastic strips resembling electrical cable ties. They can be carried in large quantities by [[soldier]]s and [[police]] and are therefore well-suited for situations where many may be needed, such as during large-scale protests and riots. In recent years, [[airline]]s have begun to carry plastic handcuffs as a way to restrain disruptive passengers. Disposable restraints could be considered to be cost-inefficient; they cannot be loosened, and must be cut off to permit a restrained subject to be fingerprinted, or to attend to bodily functions. It is not unheard of for a single subject to receive five or more sets of disposable restraints in their first few hours in custody.

However, aforementioned usage means that cheap handcuffs are available in situations where steel ones would normally lie unused for long times. Recent products have been introduced that serve to address this concern, including disposable plastic restraints that can be opened or loosened with a key; more expensive than conventional plastic restraints, they can only be used a very limited number of times, and are not as strong as conventional disposable restraints, let alone modern metal handcuffs. In addition, plastic restraints are believed by many to be more likely to inflict nerve or soft-tissue damage to the wearer than metal handcuffs.

===Legcuffs===
[[File:Standard legirons taiwan01.jpg|thumb|Standard type [[Fetters|legcuffs]] made in [[Taiwan]]]]

Legcuffs are similar to handcuffs, but have a larger inner perimeter so that they fit around a person's ankles. Some models consist of elliptically contoured cuffs so that they widely adapt to the anatomy of the ankle, minimizing pressure on the Achilles' tendon. Standard-type leg irons have a longer chain connecting the two cuffs compared to handcuffs.

On occasions when a suspect exhibits extremely aggressive behavior, [[Fetters|leg irons]] may be used in addition to handcuffs; sometimes the chain connecting the leg irons to one another is looped around the chain of the handcuffs, and then the leg irons are applied, resulting in the person being "[[hogtie|hog-tied]]". In a few rare cases, hog-tied persons lying on their stomachs have died from [[positional asphyxia]], making the practice highly controversial, and leading to its being severely restricted, or even completely banned, in many localities.

Legcuffs are also used when transporting prisoners outside of a secure area to prevent attempts to escape. When being placed in standard legcuffs, the prisoner will still have the possibility to manage normal steps and can therefore walk independently, but is prevented from running. When the connecting chain between the legcuffs is shortened, the prisoner will have even difficulties to walk so that the flight risk is further minimized. In this case, the prisoner will have to be carried by the transporting officers or has to be moved in a wheelchair.

In some countries, prisoners are permanently shackled with legcuffs even when they are held in their cells. Such a long term use of leg shackles may soon result in pressure marks on the prisoner's ankles and will cause serious harm. Therefore, such a treatment of prisoners is commonly considered a cruel and unusual punishment.

=== Combinations ===
[[File:Prisoner in transport restraints.jpg|alt=|thumb|211x211px|Prisoner in "full harness" combination]]
Some prisoners being transported from custody to outside locations, for appearances at court, to medical facilities, etc., will wear handcuffs augmented with a [[belly chain (restraint)|belly chain]]. In this type of arrangement a metal, leather, or canvas belt is attached to the waist, sometimes with a locking mechanism. The handcuffs are secured to the belly chain and the prisoner's hands are kept at waist level. This allows a relative degree of comfort for the prisoner during prolonged internment in the securing device, while providing a greater degree of restriction to movement than simply placing the handcuffs on the wrists in the front. When the handcuffs are concealed by a [[handcuff cover]] and secured at the prisoner's waist by a belly chain, this combination will result in a rather more severe restraint and the restrained person may feel discomfort or even pain.

For added security, some transport restraints have a pair of leg irons connected to a pair of handcuffs or a belly chain by a longer connector [[chain]]. These combinations further restrict the detainee's freedom of movement and prevent them from escaping.