Mayes votes for Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act
More than 116,000 pregnant women are incarcerated
Rep. La'Tasha D. Mayes December 19, 2023 | 12:44 PM
HARRISBURG, Dec. 19 – Following Wednesday’s vote on the Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act (H.B. 900), state Rep. La’Tasha D. Mayes, D-Allegheny, applauded Gov. Josh Shapiro for signing the legislation into law.
Sponsored by state Reps. Morgan Cephas, D-Phila.; Tina Davis, D-Bucks; and Mike Jones, R-York, the Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act limits the use of solitary confinement, restraints, and cavity searches on pregnant or postpartum incarcerated women. It also provides for care, postpartum recovery, issuance of feminine hygiene products, and family visitation.
“Since 2009, I worked as an advocate for reproductive health, rights, and justice to reform our criminal justice system and advance Black maternal health by providing protections for pregnant and postpartum incarcerated women,” Mayes said. “This legislation will ensure pregnant and postpartum incarcerated women have access to health care and experience some of the most basic forms of dignity while serving their sentence. Most women are incarcerated for crimes of survival, in defense against domestic, intimate partner, and sexual violence. Now, the Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act will provide trauma-informed care as part of the rehabilitation process in our state prisons.”
As chair of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus and Pennsylvania Women’s Health Caucus’ Joint Subcommittee on Women & Girls of Color and co-chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus, Mayes continues to work to improve maternal health care in Pennsylvania.
Shapiro signed the Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act into law as Act 47 of 2023 on Thursday, Dec. 14.