DOCR urges approval of nursery program at Heart River Correctional Center; advocates cite lower recidivism, civil‑justice groups warn on immunity

Senator **** Deaver reintroduced Senate Bill 23‑52 to allow children of incarcerated women to reside at the Heart River Correctional Center (HRCC) in a nursery program inside the new women’s facility. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DOCR) and child‑welfare advocates testified in support; the North Dakota Association for Justice testified in opposition, chiefly over a proposed liability immunity provision.

Sponsor and agency presentation - Senator Ron Deaver (sponsor) told the committee that federal Title IV‑E (often cited as “IV‑E”) funds and other program support make the proposal financially feasible and said the Legislature should give the DOCR direction now so the agency can plan while the new women's facility is built. He urged either passage with a delayed effective date or a later session reintroduction if the committee preferred more work. - Cheryl Thomas, women’s services manager for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, outlined DOCR’s proposed policy and operations. “The DOCR will make the well‑being of an infant within our facility priority,” Thomas told the committee. She described a staffed, secure apartment unit inside the secure perimeter of the HRCC, a 24/7 staffed nursery model that the department’s draft policy would make available from birth to 18 months in the initial plan. Eligibility criteria in the draft policy include that the mother gives birth while in custody, intends to be primary caregiver upon release, has a parole or good‑time release…