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II
117TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 341
To provide justice for incarcerated moms, and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
FEBRUARY 22, 2021
Mr. BOOKER (for himself, Mr. DURBIN, and Ms. HIRONO) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the
Judiciary
A BILL
To provide justice for incarcerated moms, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Justice for Incarcer-
4
ated Moms Act’’.
5
SEC. 2. ENDING THE SHACKLING OF PREGNANT INDIVID-
6
UALS.
7
(a) IN GENERAL.—Beginning on the date that is 6
8
months after the date of enactment of this Act, and annu-
9
ally thereafter, in each State that receives a grant under
10
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subpart 1 of part E of title I of the Omnibus Crime Con-
1
trol and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10151 et
2
seq.) (commonly referred to as the ‘‘Edward Byrne Memo-
3
rial Justice Grant Program’’) and that does not have in
4
effect throughout the State for such fiscal year laws re-
5
stricting the use of restraints on pregnant individuals in
6
prison that are substantially similar to the rights, proce-
7
dures, requirements, effects, and penalties set forth in sec-
8
tion 4322 of title 18, United States Code, the amount of
9
such grant that would otherwise be allocated to such State
10
under such subpart for the fiscal year shall be decreased
11
by 25 percent.
12
(b) REALLOCATION.—Amounts not allocated to a
13
State for failure to comply with subsection (a) shall be
14
reallocated in accordance with subpart 1 of part E of title
15
I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of
16
1968 (34 U.S.C. 10151 et seq.) to States that have com-
17
plied with such subsection.
18
SEC. 3. CREATING MODEL PROGRAMS FOR THE CARE OF
19
INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS IN THE PRE-
20
NATAL AND POSTPARTUM PERIODS.
21
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—
22
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after
23
the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney Gen-
24
eral, acting through the Director of the Bureau of
25
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Prisons, shall establish, in not fewer than 6 Bureau
1
of Prisons facilities, programs to optimize maternal
2
health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum indi-
3
viduals incarcerated in such facilities.
4
(2) REQUIRED CONSULTATION.—The Attorney
5
General shall establish the programs authorized
6
under paragraph (1) in consultation with stake-
7
holders such as—
8
(A) relevant community-based organiza-
9
tions, particularly organizations that represent
10
incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individ-
11
uals and organizations that seek to improve ma-
12
ternal health outcomes for pregnant and
13
postpartum individuals from racial and ethnic
14
minority groups;
15
(B) relevant organizations representing pa-
16
tients, with a particular focus on patients from
17
racial and ethnic minority groups;
18
(C) organizations representing maternity
19
care providers and maternal health care edu-
20
cation programs;
21
(D) perinatal health workers; and
22
(E) researchers and policy experts in fields
23
related to maternal health care for incarcerated
24
individuals.
25
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(b) START DATE.—Each facility selected under sub-
1
section (a) shall begin facility programs not later than 18
2
months after the date of enactment of this Act.
3
(c) FACILITY PRIORITY.—In carrying out subsection
4
(a), the Director shall give priority to a facility based on—
5
(1) the number of pregnant and postpartum in-
6
dividuals incarcerated in such facility and, among
7
such individuals, the number of pregnant and
8
postpartum individuals from racial and ethnic mi-
9
nority groups; and
10
(2) the extent to which the leaders of such facil-
11
ity have demonstrated a commitment to developing
12
exemplary programs for pregnant and postpartum
13
individuals incarcerated in such facility.
14
(d) PROGRAM DURATION.—The programs established
15
under this section shall be for a 5-year period.
16
(e) PROGRAMS.—Bureau of Prisons facilities selected
17
by the Director shall establish programs for pregnant and
18
postpartum incarcerated individuals, and such pro-
19
grams—
20
(1) may—
21
(A) provide access to perinatal health
22
workers
from
pregnancy
through
the
23
postpartum period;
24
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(B) provide access to healthy foods and
1
counseling on nutrition, recommended activity
2
levels, and safety measures throughout preg-
3
nancy;
4
(C) train correctional officers to ensure
5
that pregnant incarcerated individuals receive
6
safe and respectful treatment;
7
(D) train medical personnel to ensure that
8
pregnant incarcerated individuals receive trau-
9
ma-informed, culturally congruent care that
10
promotes the health and safety of the pregnant
11
individuals;
12
(E) provide counseling and treatment for
13
individuals who have suffered from—
14
(i) diagnosed mental or behavioral
15
health conditions, including trauma and
16
substance use disorders;
17
(ii) trauma or violence, including do-
18
mestic violence;
19
(iii) human immunodeficiency virus;
20
(iv) sexual abuse;
21
(v) pregnancy or infant loss; or
22
(vi) chronic conditions;
23
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(F) provide evidence-based pregnancy and
1
childbirth education, parenting support, and
2
other relevant forms of health literacy;
3
(G) provide clinical education opportunities
4
to maternity care providers in training to ex-
5
pand pathways into maternal health care ca-
6
reers serving incarcerated individuals;
7
(H) offer opportunities for postpartum in-
8
dividuals to maintain contact with the individ-
9
ual’s newborn child to promote bonding, includ-
10
ing enhanced visitation policies, access to prison
11
nursery programs, or breastfeeding support;
12
(I) provide reentry assistance, particularly
13
to—
14
(i) ensure access to health insurance
15
coverage and transfer of health records to
16
community providers if an incarcerated in-
17
dividual exits the criminal justice system
18
during such individual’s pregnancy or in
19
the postpartum period; and
20
(ii) connect individuals exiting the
21
criminal justice system during pregnancy
22
or in the postpartum period to community-
23
based resources, such as referrals to health
24
care providers, substance use disorder
25
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treatments, and social services that ad-
1
dress social determinants maternal of
2
health; or
3
(J) establish partnerships with local public
4
entities, private community entities, community-
5
based organizations, Indian Tribes and tribal
6
organizations (as such terms are defined in sec-
7
tion 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and
8
Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)),
9
and urban Indian organizations (as such term
10
is defined in section 4 of the Indian Health
11
Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1603)) to es-
12
tablish or expand pretrial diversion programs as
13
an alternative to incarceration for pregnant and
14
postpartum individuals; and
15
(2) may include—
16
(A) evidence-based childbirth education or
17
parenting classes;
18
(B) prenatal health coordination;
19
(C) family and individual counseling;
20
(D) evidence-based screenings, education,
21
and, as needed, treatment for mental and be-
22
havioral health conditions, including drug and
23
alcohol treatments;
24
(E) family case management services;
25
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(F) domestic violence education and pre-
1
vention;
2
(G) physical and sexual abuse counseling;
3
and
4
(H) programs to address social deter-
5
minants of health such as employment, housing,
6
education, transportation, and nutrition.
7
(f) IMPLEMENTATION AND REPORTING.—A selected
8
facility shall be responsible for—
9
(1) implementing programs, which may include
10
the programs described in subsection (e); and
11
(2) not later than 3 years after the date of en-
12
actment of this Act, and 6 years after the date of
13
enactment of this Act, reporting results of the pro-
14
grams to the Director, including information de-
15
scribing—
16
(A) relevant quantitative indicators of suc-
17
cess in improving the standard of care and
18
health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum
19
incarcerated individuals in the facility, including
20
data stratified by race, ethnicity, sex, gender,
21
age, geography, disability status, the category
22
of the criminal charge against such individual,
23
rates of pregnancy-related deaths, pregnancy-
24
associated deaths, cases of infant mortality and
25
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morbidity, rates of preterm births and low-
1
birthweight births, cases of severe maternal
2
morbidity, cases of violence against pregnant or
3
postpartum individuals, diagnoses of maternal
4
mental or behavioral health conditions, and
5
other such information as appropriate;
6
(B) relevant qualitative and quantitative
7
evaluations from pregnant and postpartum in-
8
carcerated individuals who participated in such
9
programs, including measures of patient-re-
10
ported experience of care; and
11
(C) strategies to sustain such programs
12
after fiscal year 2026 and expand such pro-
13
grams to other facilities.
14
(g) REPORT.—Not later than 6 years after the date
15
of enactment of this Act, the Director shall submit to the
16
Attorney General and to the Congress a report describing
17
the results of the programs funded under this section.
18
(h) OVERSIGHT.—Not later than 1 year after the
19
date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall
20
award a contract to an independent organization or inde-
21
pendent organizations to conduct oversight of the pro-
22
grams described in subsection (e).
23
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(i) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
1
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section
2
$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026.
3
SEC. 4. GRANT PROGRAM TO IMPROVE MATERNAL HEALTH
4
OUTCOMES FOR INDIVIDUALS IN STATE AND
5
LOCAL PRISONS AND JAILS.
6
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—
7
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after
8
the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney Gen-
9
eral, acting through the Director of the Bureau of
10
Justice Assistance, shall award Justice for Incarcer-
11
ated Moms grants to States to establish or expand
12
programs in State and local prisons and jails for
13
pregnant and postpartum incarcerated individuals.
14
(2) REQUIRED CONSULTATION.—The Attorney
15
General shall award the grants authorized under
16
paragraph (1) in consultation with stakeholders such
17
as—
18
(A) relevant community-based organiza-
19
tions, particularly organizations that represent
20
incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individ-
21
uals and organizations that seek to improve ma-
22
ternal health outcomes for pregnant and
23
postpartum individuals from racial and ethnic
24
minority groups;
25
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•S 341 IS
(B) relevant organizations representing pa-
1
tients, with a particular focus on patients from
2
racial and ethnic minority groups;
3
(C) organizations representing maternity
4
care providers and maternal health care edu-
5
cation programs;
6
(D) perinatal health workers; and
7
(E) researchers and policy experts in fields
8
related to maternal health care for incarcerated
9
individuals.
10
(b) APPLICATIONS.—Each applicant for a grant
11
under this section shall submit to the Director of the Bu-
12
reau of Justice Assistance an application at such time, in
13
such manner, and containing such information as the Di-
14
rector may require.
15
(c) USE OF FUNDS.—A State that is awarded a grant
16
under this section shall use such grant to establish or ex-
17
pand programs for pregnant and postpartum incarcerated
18
individuals, and such programs—
19
(1) may—
20
(A) provide access to perinatal health
21
workers from pregnancy through the post-
22
partum period;
23
(B) provide access to healthy foods and
24
counseling on nutrition, recommended activity
25
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•S 341 IS
levels, and safety measures throughout preg-
1
nancy;
2
(C) train correctional officers to ensure
3
that pregnant incarcerated individuals receive
4
safe and respectful treatment;
5
(D) train medical personnel to ensure that
6
pregnant incarcerated individuals receive trau-
7
ma-informed, culturally congruent care that
8
promotes the health and safety of the pregnant
9
individuals;
10
(E) provide counseling and treatment for
11
individuals who have suffered from—
12
(i) diagnosed mental or behavioral
13
health conditions, including trauma and
14
substance use disorders;
15
(ii) trauma or violence, including do-
16
mestic violence;
17
(iii) human immunodeficiency virus;
18
(iv) sexual abuse;
19
(v) pregnancy or infant loss; or
20
(vi) chronic conditions;
21
(F) provide evidence-based pregnancy and
22
childbirth education, parenting support, and
23
other relevant forms of health literacy;
24
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(G) provide clinical education opportunities
1
to maternity care providers in training to ex-
2
pand pathways into maternal health care ca-
3
reers serving incarcerated individuals;
4
(H) offer op
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