Makes Sense For North Dakota To Also Have Babies In Prison?

Minnesota sending infants to prison, we should do the same.

Since the prison moms are soon coming to Mandan, this is probably a topic we should take up here in Bismarck/Mandan.

Minnesota Banning Separation of Mom and Infant.

Just like that, on August 1st, Minnesota will be the first state to ban the separation of prison inmates and their baby.  It goes like this...

HF1403/SF1315 is a DOC bill that allows the Commissioner of Corrections to place women who are pregnant or immediately postpartum into community alternatives such as halfway houses, supervise them in accordance with current statute, and provide them treatment and programming in the placement location for the duration of their pregnancy and for up to one year post-birth to allow for the child to be near their mother for the first year of their lives.

What happens after a year? Well, I guess we're gonna find out in a year.

Currently women in the joint, get put back in the joint, within 3 days of giving birth. Awww...

Baby goes to some family contact (hopefully) or to what? A foster home of some sort?

So according to Public News Service,

 On Aug. 1, the Department of Corrections will shift to placing the child and mother into community alternative settings, such as halfway houses. In Minnesota, the department said, 278 pregnant women were sentenced to prison between 2013 and 2020, most for nonviolent offenses.

Wait a minute? So the babies won't be in prison?

Well, it seems many states currently unite baby and mom in prison. Minnesota is banning the separation of mom/baby and saying a halfway house is required.

So if North Dakota would want to mirror Minnesota in the future, Bismarck/Mandan would need to prepare for more places for prison moms raising babies to stay.

Because, as I wrote up in a story back in June- the New England penitentiary ladies are soon coming to Mandan.

What do we think...do babies belong in prison?