Pain compliance is the use of painful stimulus to control or direct an organism.
The purpose of pain compliance is to direct the actions of the subject, and to this end, the pain is lessened or removed when compliance is achieved. This provides incentive to the subject to carry out the action required.[1]
A common use in humans is as a law enforcement technique to assist with taking a suspect into custody,[4] control a suspect in custody or encourage action on behalf of a person who is passively resisting.[5] In disciplined law enforcement, the use of pain compliance forms part of a use of force continuum which will usually start with verbal warnings, before escalating measures.[citation needed]
Another common use of this technique is to physically compel chosen behavior, e.g. curbing school-yard bullying or racketeering, independent of any law enforcement process.[6]
The pain stimulus can be manual, using a pain compliance hold or can be through the use of weapons such as an electroshock weapon (Taser) or ballistic round.[7] Pain compliance as part of an escalation of force policy normally presumes a rational adversary, but some altered states such as mental illness, phencyclidine and amphetamine use, or extreme adrenaline may alter the subject's perception of pain or willingness to submit.[citation needed]
^Terrill, William; Paoline, Eugene A. (March 2013). "Examining Less Lethal Force Policy and the Force Continuum: Results From a National Use-of-Force Study". Police Quarterly. 16 (1): 38–65. doi:10.1177/1098611112451262. S2CID154365926.
^Simpson, Fiona (2 March 2020). "Fall in YOI staff linked to restraint increase". Children and Young People Now. 2020 (3): 14–15. doi:10.12968/cypn.2020.3.14. S2CID253113380.
^Ho, Jeffrey D.; Heegaard, William G.; Miner, James R.; Dawes, Donald M. (August 2009). "Introduction of a Conducted Electrical Weapon in a Hospital Setting: The First 8 Months of Use". The Journal of Emergency Medicine. 37 (2): 209. doi:10.1016/j.jemermed.2009.04.020.
^Parish, Colin (February 2007). "When might is right". Nursing Standard. 21 (24): 18–19. PMID17345902. ProQuest219852032.