[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 69 (Tuesday, May 3, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E647-E648]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




H.R. 5130, THE ``STOP INFANT MORTALITY AND RECIDIVISM REDUCTION ACT OF 
                        2016'' (``SIMARRA ACT'')

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 3, 2016

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, last Friday I introduced the ``Stop 
Infant Mortality and Recidivism Reduction Act of 2016,'' or the 
``SIMARRA Act,'' which will help the Federal Bureau of Prisons to 
improve the effectiveness

[[Page E648]]

and efficiency of the Federal prison system for pregnant offenders, by 
establishing a pilot program of critical-stage, developmental nurseries 
in Federal prisons for children born to inmates.
  It is time that our nation recognizes a long-persistent need to break 
the cycle of generational, institutional incarceration amongst mothers 
convicted of non-violent crimes and the children they birth behind 
prison bars.
  H.R. 5130, the ``SIMARRA Act of 2016,'' gives those infants born to 
incarcerated mothers a chance to succeed in life.
  ``SIMARRA'' is not merely yet another second chance program, 
demanding leniency from the criminal justice system.
  Instead, H.R. 5130 asks our national criminal justice system what it 
can do for those young Americans born and relegated to a life of nearly 
impossible odds of survival.
  ``SIMARRA'' provides that first chance--a first chance for American 
infants--that many of their mothers, born themselves to mothers behind 
bars, never received.
  We have a unique opportunity to nurture infants with the ``SIMARRA 
Act of 2016,'' providing them a true head start.
  A 2015 article in the National, estimated that at least 10,000 babies 
are born to American prisoners annually.
  This issue is affecting more children and women than we realize.
  The New York Times reported that approximately 25 percent of 
incarcerated women are pregnant, carrying children, on admission to 
prison, or gave birth during the previous year, still requiring special 
medical and nutritional resources for the health of their infants, as 
well as themselves.
  Current Federal Bureau of Prison policy dictates that, in most cases, 
incarcerated mothers relinquish their children immediately after giving 
birth, handing them over to friends or family members, and most often 
to the foster care system.
  Eleven percent of those children separated from incarcerated mothers 
and placed into foster care experienced at least two changes in 
caregivers during the period of the mother's incarceration; and 
sometimes these mothers, even when they have short prison sentences, 
never see their child again--forever lost to the foster-care system.
  This practice is devastating the wellness and safety of American 
infants, denying them the ability to lactate, bond and thrive with 
their mother's host body, as healthy infants require during the 
critical stage of development.
  Children born to mothers in prison and removed to social services 
programs also experience parental separation, and often illicit 
substance use, mental illness, and domestic violence, all of which are 
adverse childhood experiences associated with morbidity and premature 
mortality.
  Neo-natal health science tells us that positive social interactions 
in a child's early years are considered critical to the development of 
healthy social relationships and personality growth.
  Studies indicate that, upon entering early childhood educational 
programs, children born to incarcerated women are at higher risk of 
behavioral health problems than their peers.
  It should not surprise anyone familiar with the juvenile criminal 
justice system that children of incarcerated women are more likely to 
be caught up in the criminal justice system themselves, deflating the 
upward trajectory of their life's potential.
  The writing is on the wall: there is a positive, statistically 
significant correlation between the total incarceration rate and the 
infant mortality.
  Studies reveal that newborn babies separated from their mothers, due 
to confinement, suffer health and psychological complications such as 
weakened attachment, bonding and abandonment at exponentially 
compounded rates.
  Ten states currently operate successful similar programs and studies 
have shown that 71 percent of the babies served attained attachment 
goals with their inmate-mothers while in a prison nursery setting, a 
percentage greater than that reported by most low-risk, community 
children whose mothers had no criminal history or involvement.
  Nursery participants also had a lower recidivism rate compared to 
non-participating mothers.
  In spite of the fact that the mothers of most of these children had 
not internalized secure attachment in their own childhoods, 71 percent 
of the babies achieved secure attachment with their own mothers while 
in the prison nursery setting.
  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 
national infant mortality rate is 5.96 deaths per 1,000 births, 
increasing to 7.9 infant deaths per 1,000 live births for Hispanic 
inmates, and 14.3 infant deaths per 1,000 live births among African 
American inmates.
  Other studies have documented that parental incarceration elevates 
the risk of early infant death by 29.6 percent for the average infant, 
concentrating effects during the post-neonatal period.
  The data demonstrates that incarceration compounds women's depression 
and the risk of contracting infectious or chronic stress-related 
illnesses, which may harm infant health through numerous mechanisms 
also increasing infant mortality rates.
  The ``SIMARRA Act'' will decrease unprecedentedly high current infant 
mortality rates and allow inmate mothers to provide healthy and safe 
gestation to protect their unborn, as well as bond with infants during 
their first 30 months of life, designated by the CDC as one of the most 
critical stages of development.
  Further, H.R. 5130 simultaneously implements risk and needs 
assessments, risk reduction incentives, and risk and recidivism 
reduction programs to address the healthcare, safety and rehabilitative 
needs of new-mother-inmates as they serve their sentence.
  Mass incarceration not only fosters inequality but also diminishes a 
child's chances of surviving its first year of life, which combined 
together can further hinder a child's life chances.
  The most likely long-term mechanism through which imprisonment 
affects infant mortality is through its effects on maternal health.
  Mr. Speaker, as a nation we do not have a person to waste, so we must 
embrace practices that nurture the bonds between mother and child.
  The ``SIMARRA Act'' will provide resources and programming to ensure 
a healthy and safe environment for these children during their critical 
stages of development.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in sponsoring and 
supporting H.R. 5130, the ``Stop Infant Mortality and Recidivism 
Reduction Act of 2016'' or the ``SIMARRA Act.''