Cheryl Thomas, women’s services manager for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, testifies Jan. 15, 2024, about a proposed nursery program at the women’s prison under construction in Mandan. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
(Michael Achterling – North Dakota Monitor) – A women’s prison under construction in Mandan could include a nursery program for mothers to care for their newborns.
Cheryl Thomas, women’s services manager for Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee the goal is to establish a separated housing unit that would allow inmates who give birth while in custody, and others who qualify, to care for their newborns up to 18 months old while in prison.
“Contact between incarcerated parents and their children can help reduce risk factors for the children affected by parental incarceration, as well as reduce recidivism for the incarcerated parent,” Thomas said.
Similar programs in New York, Washington, Nebraska and Indiana reduced prison reentry for women who cared for their newborns while in jail up to 16%, Thomas told lawmakers.
The Heart River Correctional Center doesn’t have any women who would qualify now, Thomas said, but the state did have 13 babies born to mothers in custody in one year.
Thomas testified in support of Senate Bill 2115, which seeks to limit the state’s liability for the nursery program. Thomas said mothers who choose to participate would sign a waiver of liability.
Thomas told lawmakers the program wouldn’t be implemented until 2027, once the new correctional facility is completed, but she wanted to lay the groundwork for the program in advance.
Lawmakers indicated support for the program but said a bill relating to the state’s liability seemed premature.
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