PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A bill that would require changes to the way women are treated in prison has advanced in the Pennsylvania House with a unanimous vote in the House Judiciary Committee.
Philadelphia Democrat Morgan Cephas, co-sponsor of the bill, says while she supports a system “that serves justice,” women in prisons face a number of unique circumstances affecting their health and the wellbeing of their families. She notes the sharp increase in the number of women in prisons since 1980, adding the majority are primary caregivers of young children and are in for non-violent offenses.
“The bill will add reporting requirements for the shackling of pregnant women, creates alternatives to solitary confinement for pregnant women, provides trauma-informed care training for correctional officers interacting with pregnant, labor and postpartum women,” Cepha said.
The bill would also provide for up to three days of bonding with a newborn for a mother who gives birth while in prison, barring extenuating circumstances. It would prevent full body searches of women by male guards and would require feminine hygiene products to be provided at no cost to the inmate.
York County Republican Mike Jones calls himself a “tough on crime kind of guy” but explains why he’s a co-sponsor.
“This is not a soft-on-crime bill. This is an acknowledgment that prisons were not designed with women in mind,” Jones said.
“It's the right thing, the Christian thing to do, to extend grace, and to treat these people the way we would want our wives and sisters and daughters to be treated.”
The bill moves to the full House for consideration. Sponsors say similar legislation has already been passed in more than a dozen other states.
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