To Whom It May Concern;

The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy is Virginia’s oldest faith-based advocacy group. We are a nonpartisan coalition of faith communities working to create compassionate public policy by engaging people of faith, educating the public about social issues, the legislative process, and the call to advocacy.

While much of our criminal justice system reflects appropriate concern for the safety and welfare of the Commonwealth’s residents, too often it falls short on appropriate displays of compassion and mercy. Reported cases in Virginia point to the practice of shackling female prisoners during childbirth. While seemingly barbaric, this is simply an example of a corrections system so focused on a one size-fits-all regulation structure that it puts the lives of mothers and children in danger by treating them as dangerous criminals.

But shackling presents a real threat to the life of the mother and her child. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Medical Association, and the United Nations have condemned the practice due to health risks.

This policy does not present a safety threat to the correctional officers or the public. Among the states that have restricted restraints on pregnant inmates, none have documented instances of women in labor or delivery escaping or causing harm to themselves, the public, security guards, or medical staff.

For these reasons, the Virginia Interfaith Center fully supports regulations that limit the use of restraints on pregnant inmates to the greatest extent possible.

Sincerely,

Holly Coy

Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy

Richmond, VA