Dignity for Incarcerated Women
May 13, 2021 10:33 AM to All House Members
Circulated By
Representative Mike Jones
R House District 93
Along With
Rep. Morgan Cephas
D House District 192
Rep. Tina Davis
D House District 141
Rep. Lori Mizgorski
R House District 30
Memo
Over the past three decades Pennsylvania has seen a significant increase in the number of incarcerated women. While we believe in supporting a system that serves justice, women who are incarcerated face a number of unique issues regarding their heath and the health of their children. Despite being incarcerated, these women are still our mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters, and it is in everyone’s best interest to ensure we treat them with dignity.
Through extensive consultation and collaboration with our state Department of Corrections, county wardens, corrections officers, various interest groups, and subject matter experts, we have identified a number of best practices, many of which are already in place, that we believe will not only benefit incarcerated women, but their children, families, and society as a whole. Specifically, our bill will provide for the following well vetted provisions at both the state and county level, with necessary oversight from children and youth services, and limited exceptions where extenuating circumstances and/or capacity constraints prevent safe practice and enforcement. With common sense exceptions in all cases, the bill:
1. Prohibits the shackling of pregnant women.
2. Prohibits solitary confinement of pregnant women.
3. Provides for trauma informed care training of corrections officers interacting with pregnant and postpartum women.
4. Provides for up to three days of post-delivery bonding time between mother and new born child.
5. Provides for accommodation of adequate visitation time between minor children and incarcerated individuals (male or female) who were the sole legal guardian of those minor children at the time of their arrest.
6. Prohibits full body searches of incarcerated females by male guards.
7. Provides for appropriate amount of feminine hygiene products at no cost to incarcerated women.
8. Provides for limited coverage of cost to transport individuals to a safe location upon release.
It is our intent to memorialize these best and reasonable practices in statute and, in so doing, demonstrate that ours is not only a just, but a wise and compassionate Commonwealth. We ask that you join us in co-sponsoring this historic bipartisan legislation.
Through extensive consultation and collaboration with our state Department of Corrections, county wardens, corrections officers, various interest groups, and subject matter experts, we have identified a number of best practices, many of which are already in place, that we believe will not only benefit incarcerated women, but their children, families, and society as a whole. Specifically, our bill will provide for the following well vetted provisions at both the state and county level, with necessary oversight from children and youth services, and limited exceptions where extenuating circumstances and/or capacity constraints prevent safe practice and enforcement. With common sense exceptions in all cases, the bill:
1. Prohibits the shackling of pregnant women.
2. Prohibits solitary confinement of pregnant women.
3. Provides for trauma informed care training of corrections officers interacting with pregnant and postpartum women.
4. Provides for up to three days of post-delivery bonding time between mother and new born child.
5. Provides for accommodation of adequate visitation time between minor children and incarcerated individuals (male or female) who were the sole legal guardian of those minor children at the time of their arrest.
6. Prohibits full body searches of incarcerated females by male guards.
7. Provides for appropriate amount of feminine hygiene products at no cost to incarcerated women.
8. Provides for limited coverage of cost to transport individuals to a safe location upon release.
It is our intent to memorialize these best and reasonable practices in statute and, in so doing, demonstrate that ours is not only a just, but a wise and compassionate Commonwealth. We ask that you join us in co-sponsoring this historic bipartisan legislation.
Legislation
Document - Introduced as HB 1419
Dignity for Incarcerated Women
May 13, 2021 10:33 AM to All House Members
Circulated By
JONES and CEPHAS, DAVIS, MIZGORSKI
Memo
Over the past three decades Pennsylvania has seen a significant increase in the number of incarcerated women. While we believe in supporting a system that serves justice, women who are incarcerated face a number of unique issues regarding their heath and the health of their children. Despite being incarcerated, these women are still our mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters, and it is in everyone’s best interest to ensure we treat them with dignity.
Through extensive consultation and collaboration with our state Department of Corrections, county wardens, corrections officers, various interest groups, and subject matter experts, we have identified a number of best practices, many of which are already in place, that we believe will not only benefit incarcerated women, but their children, families, and society as a whole. Specifically, our bill will provide for the following well vetted provisions at both the state and county level, with necessary oversight from children and youth services, and limited exceptions where extenuating circumstances and/or capacity constraints prevent safe practice and enforcement. With common sense exceptions in all cases, the bill:
1. Prohibits the shackling of pregnant women.
2. Prohibits solitary confinement of pregnant women.
3. Provides for trauma informed care training of corrections officers interacting with pregnant and postpartum women.
4. Provides for up to three days of post-delivery bonding time between mother and new born child.
5. Provides for accommodation of adequate visitation time between minor children and incarcerated individuals (male or female) who were the sole legal guardian of those minor children at the time of their arrest.
6. Prohibits full body searches of incarcerated females by male guards.
7. Provides for appropriate amount of feminine hygiene products at no cost to incarcerated women.
8. Provides for limited coverage of cost to transport individuals to a safe location upon release.
It is our intent to memorialize these best and reasonable practices in statute and, in so doing, demonstrate that ours is not only a just, but a wise and compassionate Commonwealth. We ask that you join us in co-sponsoring this historic bipartisan legislation.
Through extensive consultation and collaboration with our state Department of Corrections, county wardens, corrections officers, various interest groups, and subject matter experts, we have identified a number of best practices, many of which are already in place, that we believe will not only benefit incarcerated women, but their children, families, and society as a whole. Specifically, our bill will provide for the following well vetted provisions at both the state and county level, with necessary oversight from children and youth services, and limited exceptions where extenuating circumstances and/or capacity constraints prevent safe practice and enforcement. With common sense exceptions in all cases, the bill:
1. Prohibits the shackling of pregnant women.
2. Prohibits solitary confinement of pregnant women.
3. Provides for trauma informed care training of corrections officers interacting with pregnant and postpartum women.
4. Provides for up to three days of post-delivery bonding time between mother and new born child.
5. Provides for accommodation of adequate visitation time between minor children and incarcerated individuals (male or female) who were the sole legal guardian of those minor children at the time of their arrest.
6. Prohibits full body searches of incarcerated females by male guards.
7. Provides for appropriate amount of feminine hygiene products at no cost to incarcerated women.
8. Provides for limited coverage of cost to transport individuals to a safe location upon release.
It is our intent to memorialize these best and reasonable practices in statute and, in so doing, demonstrate that ours is not only a just, but a wise and compassionate Commonwealth. We ask that you join us in co-sponsoring this historic bipartisan legislation.
Document
Introduced as HB 1419
Generated 03/23/2025 09:57 AM