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Hello Senator Booker, thank you very much for taking time out of you busy schedule to answer

my questions on female incarceration and women’s rights.

 

Q: In your preamble of the Dignity Act, you talk about the Vera Institute report and that

women in prison have faced high levels of trauma. How do you plan on helping these

women? Will there be counseling sessions with qualified therapists that meet with them

one on one or in groups throughout their sentence? (I watched your video on the Marshall

Project and Teen Vogue and a previously incarcerated woman, Ayana Thomas said that

there was not counseling services, that everything was one way.) How will you ensure

that what happened to these women does not happen again/ decrease the risk the are

exposed to?

Answer: First off, thank you for your questions. A section of the Dignity for

Incarcerated Women Act (Dignity Act) requires the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to

provide trauma informed care to primary caretaker parents who are suffering from

trauma. It also requires BOP to train its correctional officers to identify and handle

victims of trauma. Hurt people hurt people, which is why we must strive to make

our prisons a more healing place for those who have faced trauma in their lives.

Q: What procedures are there to screen a woman before the birth of her child to see if they

are healthy? Are there drug tests?

Answer: Women who are incarcerated at BOP facilities receive health care from the

federal government. That includes regular checkups with doctors as well as

individual needs-based treatment. Women who are under federal supervision must

be treated with dignity and respect, and a fundamental part of ensuring that is to

provide proper health care services.

BOP medically screens women for pregnancy when they are first admitted to their

facilities. If an incarcerated person is pregnant, they are provided with “medical,

case management, and counseling services.”

What deeply concerns me is the shackling of pregnant women as well as the

placement of pregnant women in solitary confinement. These practices are

dangerous and threaten the health and safety of these individuals. That is why the

Dignity Act prohibits the shackling of pregnant women as well as the placement of

pregnant women in solitary confinement.

Q: Some prisons have nurseries where women can raise their children with them. However,

children are not allowed to stay past the age of two. Are there any plans to extend the age

limit to allow children to stay longer? Why does this program stop at the age of two?

Answer: BOP does not operate prison nurseries. Rather, it has a program called

Mothers and Infants Nurturing Together (MINT), which is based in a residential

reentry center. The goal of MINT is to promote “bonding and enhanced parenting

 

skills for low-risk female[s].” We must look to expand this program. Additionally,

we must work to promote communication and contact between incarcerated people

and their loved ones. That is why the Dignity Act requires BOP to make phone calls

and video conferencing available for free at all its facilities and allow primary

caretaker parents to have contact visits with family members.

Q: When visiting an incarcerated person, two people are not allowed to hold hands, or touch

for a period of time. Mothers need to bond with their children. Where does BOP stand on

that?

Answer: Significant discretion is given to BOP wardens to control the nature of

prison visits, which means that in some cases primary caretaker parents are not able

to hug their children or even touch their hands. The Dignity Act would require BOP

to allow contact visits with primary caretaker parents.

Q: What is your position on incarcerated trans women? Some are placed in male units,

others are sexually abused. Do you have a plan to protect these women?

Answer: Unfortunately, LGBT people are particularly susceptible to abuse and

discrimination in our criminal justice system. There is no doubt that we must do

more to protect LGBT people who are incarcerated. I am working with the National

Center for Transgender Equality to ensure that all LGBT people who are behind

bars are treated with dignity and respect.

 

Thank you very much for standing up for women in our community, for showing that even

though they are incarcerated, that they have rights that are not being met. I look forward to

seeing these policies put in place!