Advocates urge baseline human‑rights standards for prisons to improve outcomes and reduce recidivism

Proponents of a bill to set statewide minimum standards for conditions of confinement — including minimum daily out‑of‑cell time, guaranteed access to education and substance‑use treatment, functional toilets and showers, and a right to daily exercise — testified that current practices leave many incarcerated people warehoused and ill prepared for reentry.

Representative Brandy Fluker‑Oakford and others said the proposal, H.2608 / S.1651, would correct wide disparities between facilities and ensure access to programs shown to reduce recidivism. Representative Fluker‑Oakford cited research that participation in education reduces recidivism by about 43 percent and argued that universal baseline standards would create equity and improve public safety.

Lawyers and advocates described routine conditions that include long lock‑ups, limited programming budgets and inconsistent enforcement of regulations; Prisoners Legal Services and clinicians said the DOC spends the majority of its $800M‑plus budget on operations while dedicating a small fraction to programming. Multiple witnesses described being locked 20+ hours per day in some facilities, limited access to showers and medical care, and very small children’s visiting areas.

Supporters asked the committee to report the bill favorably and to include enforcement mechanisms and data collection that would require reporting on compliance across county jails and state prisons.

Ending: Backers said baseline standards would advance racial equity and public safety by replacing ad‑hoc facility practices with transparent, enforceable minimums.