Story at a glance
- Pregnant inmates are often separated from their newborns shortly after their birth to finish their sentence.
- The separation can impair the development of a bond between the parent and their child, making reunification difficult.
- A new law in Minnesota will allow inmates alternatives to permit them to remain with their newborns.
For much of the 20th century, parents were separated from their children at birth to prevent infection — a practice that was later reversed after modern science acknowledged the consequences on newborns. But in prisons across the United States, parents continue to be torn from their children soon after giving birth to finish out their sentence, robbing both of the bond that develops in that time.
“This is a forgotten population within a forgotten population. We don’t talk about women who are incarcerated and the children who are impacted by those incarcerations,” Safia Khan, director of government and external relations for the Department of Corrections, told the Star Tribune. “It’s a simple solution that will have a really profound impact for us to see on two generations.”
America is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news.
The solution Khan is referring to is coming in the form of the Healthy Start Act, which Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) signed earlier this month. The legislation allows the Commissioner of Corrections to provide alternative arrangements for inmates for the duration of their pregnancy and up to one year after giving birth.
More than three-fourths of the 278 pregnant inmates — about two-thirds of whom were Indigenous — sentenced to serve time between 2013 and 2020 had nonviolent governing offenses, according to the Minnesota Department of Corrections, and roughly the same were in prison for violations of their supervision. Most were released within the next year, and the median length of stay for a pregnant woman in Minnesota prison is 4.5 months.
“Every child deserves a healthy start. We listened to incarcerated moms on how we could support them and their babies through pregnancy, birth, and post-partum – and their stories became the bipartisan women-led Healthy Start Act that was signed into law,” said Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in a release. “This is what happens when you center the voices of women at the decision-making table. Minnesota is the better for it.”
READ MORE STORIES FROM CHANGING AMERICA
SOCCER STAR MEGAN RAPINOE TAKES ON NBA STAR DRAYMOND GREEN OVER WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT
THESE 10 INSPIRATIONAL WOMEN SHOULD BE HOUSEHOLD NAMES—HERE’S WHY THEY ARE NOT
WHO SAYS ONE-THIRD OF ALL WOMEN ENCOUNTER PHYSICAL OR SEXUAL VIOLENCE
CHLOE ZHAO BECOMES FIRST ASIAN FEMALE DIRECTOR TO TAKE HOME A GOLDEN GLOBE WITH HER FILM ‘NOMADLAND’
PARK POLICE TAPS FIRST BLACK FEMALE CHIEF
Published on Jun 01,2021