What Are Straitjackets For?

The mere mention of a straitjacket can send terror down a person's limbs, and with good reason. Straitjackets have long been used to restrain those limbs, or at least the arms, in stark and often understaffed mental asylums. While straitjackets still exist, their use has decreased in American mental health institutions in favor of other ways to deal with patients that have been developed.

Function

• The main purpose of a straitjacket is restraint. They have been used for restraining people who pose a threat to themselves or others. They have traditionally been found in mental institutions, but are also used in entertainment and some subcultures.

Features

• The traditional straitjacket is made of thick canvas, cotton or leather. The jacket's sleeves are sewn shut at the ends and are long enough to be pulled over the hands. The arms are crossed across the front of the body with the extended sleeves secured in back with buckles or ties. They usually feature a number of metal buckles and fasteners to keep the wearer as compact and immobile as possible. An additional fastener is hooked between the wearer's legs to keep it on the torso. The legs are still mobile so the wearer can walk.

Mental Institutions

• Straitjackets were once a staple of mental institutions. Patients who acted out could be placed in a jacket and secured in a room where there was no danger of them causing harm since they were fully restrained. While some view straitjackets as inhumane, they were a step up from the chains and leather straps used prior to their invention.

Escapologists

• Master escapologist Harry Houdini used the straitjacket in his act, and other magicians and escapologists have followed suit. Because of their construction and features, straitjackets are looked upon as an ultimate challenge from which to escape. Houdini dislocated his shoulders to do so. Jackets used by escapologists may include less hardware and sometimes even have extra slits to make escaping a tad easier, or at least possible.

Fetish Community

• Straitjackets have also found their way into communities where bondage, masochism and other fetishes are practiced. Because of their confining and seemingly inescapable nature, straitjackets are the perfect prop for those who wish to be dominated and abused. Straitjackets used in the fetish community are often jazzed up with spikes, ornate buckles or other adornments, and can be made out of a flashier material than the traditional jackets.

Warning

• Any type of restraint, especially those placed on people without their consent, can become maddening to the wearer. Straitjackets may also reduce circulation and make breathing difficult. For those who are mentally ill, being put in a straitjacket can further confuse and infuriate.