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Committee advances bill to restrict solitary confinement for pregnant and juvenile inmates
Summary
House Bill 1470 would codify Department of Corrections'policy restricting solitary and restrictive housing for pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding people and expand protections for juveniles. Sponsors said the bill formalizes existing practice and requires medical consultation for housing decisions.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance House Bill 1470, which would prohibit use of solitary confinement for juveniles and restrict the use of restrictive housing for incarcerated people who are pregnant, postpartum or breastfeeding.
Representative Jamie Scott, who carried the bill, said the measure codifies best practices already in place at the Arkansas Department of Corrections and the Department of Youth Services. Department officials told the committee current policy already prevents extended restrictive housing assignments for pregnant inmates and requires medical consultation before assigning housing or job duties.
Committee members asked how long protections would last for postpartum diagnoses and how the policy would be enforced; Department witnesses said the duration would follow a medical diagnosis and that quarantine procedures used during COVID-19 are not considered punitive placements. Senator Ballinger and others praised the bill's aim to preserve maternal and juvenile health.
The committee recorded a do-pass recommendation by voice vote; sponsors said the bill is intended to preserve existing practice across changing administrations and to extend protections to juveniles.
