skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Kentucky Dignity Bill: A Game-Changer for Women Behind Bars

play audio
Play

Wednesday, March 28, 2018   

FRANKFORT, Ky. - A Kentucky lawmaker is hopeful that a bill that would help improve outcomes for women in prison soon will be approved by the House.

Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, co-sponsored Senate Bill 133, which she said would address unfavorable conditions for women in prison, including access to basic health and hygiene services. The state's correctional facilities were originally built for men, she said, and are ill-equipped to handle the recent rise in the female population.

"Our female prison population is struggling to get the personal items they need, feminine-hygiene products, and there's even a lot of problems with them having undergarments that are appropriate," she said. "And in Kentucky, we still shackle women while they're giving birth."

Adams said one in four women entering the prison population either has an infant or is pregnant, and some are struggling with drug addiction. SB 133, which she called the "Dignity Bill," also would allow pregnant women in prison to enter drug treatment to help them deliver a healthy baby, and end the practice of shackling pregnant women during labor.

Jennifer Hancock, president of Volunteers of America Mid-States in Louisville, which provides addiction services for mothers and pregnant women, predicted that the bill would promote quicker access to treatment services for women who otherwise may spend their pregnancy behind bars. She contended that it's needed now more than ever.

"Some of the drugs of the past, still highly addictive, but women were able to more successfully remain abstinent during their pregnancies," she said, "and that game has changed in the face of the opioid crisis."

Some opponents have said allowing pregnant women to be released from jail for drug treatment could be problematic, opening a window for drug crimes. However, Adams argued that it will help break the cycle of addiction in families, and thus is a good return on investment.

"Delivering a baby that has been stepped down and is not a neonatal abstinence syndrome baby, that saves the state hundreds of thousands of dollars," she said. "And so, not only is this the right thing to do, it saves taxpayer money."

SB 133 passed the Senate earlier this month and recently was sent to the House Rules Committee. Details of the bill are online at lrc.ky.gov.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021