Article archive / November 2020
Originally published: . Volume 11, No. 11. Source pages: 8.
Senator Mizell's Senate Resolution will authorize and direct the re-creation of the Louisiana Women's Incarceration Task Force under the jurisdiction of the Louisiana Legislative Women's Caucus and the Department of Public Safety & Corrections. The effort grant them new authority to study, evaluate, analyze, and undertake a comprehensive review of the state's and local municipal criminal justice systems as it relates to prenatal and postpartum care of incarcerated pregnant women and the need for babies to bond with their mothers. The Task Force is to report its findings and policy recommendations by February 1, 2021.
Sen. Mizell noted that according to United States Bureau of Justice Statistics in 2017, Louisiana had the seventh highest women's incarceration rate in the United States and incarcerated more than two thousand women at a cost of over $50 million. It is beneficial to the entire population of the state of Louisiana to develop a broadly diverse and cross- disciplinary task force to study correction systems for women.
The information gathered shall be used to develop policy recommendations for the Senate to:
(1) Develop practices and processes that avoid placing additional trauma or harm upon pregnant women as they navigate the criminal justice system.
(2) Address the holistic health of women to include access to hormone therapy, prenatal care, reproductive health, access to other medicine to maintain health, consistent health screenings, mental health access, and access to substance use and recovery resources.
(3) Increase and evaluate programming available to pregnant women during and after incarceration with the intention of self-determined development.
(4) Ensure the availability of gender responsive resources to support the dignity and quality of life of all women.
Participants listed include Chair of the Louisiana Legislative Women's Caucus, a physician specializing in OB/GYN designated by Our Lady of the Lake Hospital, president of the Louisiana Sheriffs' Association, or his designee, and president of the Louisiana District Attorneys' Association, among others.
The task force may request the Louisiana Legislative Women's Caucus, the Department of Public Safety & Corrections, and the office of the judicial administrator of the Louisiana Supreme Court to provide relevant data and staff expertise upon request.
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