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Panel advances bill allowing infants to reside with incarcerated mothers in new Heart River facility
Summary
The Senate Appropriations Human Resources Division gave a due-pass recommendation to Senate Bill 2352, which would authorize infants to live with their incarcerated mothers at the Heart River Correctional Centre for up to 18 months while the state builds and operates a new women's facility.
Cheryl Thomas, women's services manager with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, told the Senate Appropriations Human Resources Division that Senate Bill 2352 would authorize children to reside with their incarcerated mothers at the Heart River Correctional Centre for the first 18 months of the child's life. Thomas said the new women's facility being planned would include four apartments for that purpose and emphasized research showing early bonding supports child outcomes.
"We appreciate the opportunity," Thomas said in committee testimony. "We do feel at the DOCR this is a very important bill to ultimately maintain and foster that modeling and relationships and ultimately growing those stronger…
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