Sheila Jackson Lee: “As a senior member of the Committee on the Judiciary and Co-Chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, I rise in…”

“As a senior member of the Committee on the Judiciary and Co-Chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, I rise in strong support of H.R. 7718, the ``Protecting the Health and Wellness of Babies and Pregnant Women in Custody Act,'' introduced by our colleague Congresswoman Bass of California. This legislation requires the Bureau of Justice Statistics to collect and report data relating to the demographics and physical and mental health needs of incarcerated women who are pregnant, in labor, or in post-partum recovery, at the Federal, State, tribal, and local levels. In addition, the bill will help ensure that appropriate medical services and programs related to pregnancy and childbirth are provided in the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and made available to women in custody. The bill also prohibits the use of restraints or restrictive housing, while in BOP or U.S. Marshals Service custody, during the period of pregnancy, labor, and postpartum recovery, unless these measures are necessary. Over the past four decades, the total U.S. prison population has skyrocketed. There are almost 2.3 million people currently in our nation's prisons and jails, 36 which represents a more than 500 percent increase over the last 40 years. During the period from 1980 to the present, the federal prison population has grown from approximately 25,000 to 180,000--an increase of over 600 percent.…”