Sheila Jackson Lee: “That is why I was glad to see my bill, the Stop Infant Mortality And Recidivism Reduction Act of 2021, or the SIMARRA…”

“That is why I was glad to see my bill, the Stop Infant Mortality And Recidivism Reduction Act of 2021, or the SIMARRA Act, included in the Violence Against Women Act, which passed earlier this year. That bill established a pilot program to allow women incarcerated in Federal prisons and their babies to reside with each other while the mother is incarcerated for a period of time. Mr. Speaker, let us continue to be innovators in the treatment of those who are incarcerated, and let us make sure that we give every newborn a healthy life. I ask my colleagues to support the underlying legislation. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6878, the ``Pregnant Women in Custody Act,'' because women's lives matter, pregnant women's lives matter, their babies' lives matter--as do the lives of incarcerated women and their babies. Although women are the fastest growing segment of the incarcerated population in the United States, conversations about criminal justice reform often overlook the unique experiences and needs of women and girls within the criminal justice system. The United States has the second highest rate of women incarcerated in the world, with 64 women per 100,000 in custody, and nearly 60,000 pregnant women admitted into American jails and prisons every year, while some states have yet to prohibit the shackling of women when they are giving birth.…”