Pathway to Parenting Act would would improve children’s access to imprisoned parent
219 thousand women in the U.S. are in jails, and 80 percent of them are mothers. In some extreme cases they can have little to no visitation rights with their children, or can even be shackled or put in straitjackets while pregnant. That’s even though 60 percent of them are held in jail pre-trial without being convicted of a crime.
A bill recently introduced in the House by a Republican aims to reform the penal system for mothers or expectant mothers.
What the bill does
The Pathway to Parenting Act would:
- Require that a prisoner with children be placed as close to the children as possible, when determining imprisonment location.
- Allow a parent prisoner to be visited by any of their children at least six days per week if they so choose, with physical contact unless the prisoner is considered an “immediate physical danger.”
- Prohibit the use of shackles, handcuffs, or straitjackets on a pregnant prisoner.
- Provide parenting classes for any prisoner who is a parent.
- Prevent charging any fees for telephone calls or other communications between a prisoner parent and their child.
- Provide access to a gynecologist for all female prisoners, whether a parent/pregnant or not.
The legislation was introduced by Rep. Scott Taylor (R-VA2), numbered H.R. 5575.
A fairly similar — though not identical — version of the bill was introduced in the Senate in July, called the Dignity Act. (Click here for a comparison between the two bills.)
What supporters say
Supporters argue the bill is a humane way to deal with the problem of mothers or expectant mothers in prison.
“Incarcerated pregnant women should not have to worry about the safety or health of their unborn children via the stress of solitary confinement or shackling. After they pay their debts to society, we must have policies in place that reduce recidivism, allow for a productive return to communities, and keep families together,” Rep. Taylor said in a press release.
“American women are incarcerated disproportionately more than their foreign counterparts and there is a large percentage of them with children,” Taylor continued. “This bipartisan bill is a big step in the right direction.”
GovTrack Insider was unable to immediately locate any direct statements of opposition to the bill.
Odds of passage
The bill has attracted three House cosponsors, all Democrats — though the lead sponsor is a Republican. It awaits a possible vote in the House Judiciary Committee.
This article was written by GovTrack Insider staff writer Jesse Rifkin.
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