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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | June 1, 2021 11:50 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Donna Bullock and Rep. Rick Krajewski |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Keeping families together by allowing community-based sentencing alternatives for non-violent crimes |
| Children deserve to be in the loving care of a parent or caretaker. Sadly, this is not the case for many children in Pennsylvania, whose parent/primary caretaker has been convicted of a low-level or non-violent offense and incarcerated. It is for this reason that we are introducing legislation to direct courts to sentence primary caretakers and parents with children under the age of 18 to an individualized community based sentence in instances where the offense is considered low-level and non-violent. Currently, judges in Pennsylvania have the authority to choose a sentence of non-confinement and order the offender to complete a number of rehabilitation services, if the offense is considered low-level and of a non-violent nature. Our legislation would require courts to determine if the offender is a primary caretaker of a child under the age of 18, and if so, hand down an individually-assessed sentence without confinement that will leave the primary caretaker in the home. Research makes it clear - children do better socially and academically if they are allowed to maintain kinship, social, and community based relationships. Allowing parents/primary caretakers to remain in their homes and communities while serving their sentence would strengthen family bonds, help offenders to remain a part of the workforce, and maintain connections with their communities. There are more than 1,900 women incarcerated in state correctional facilities in Pennsylvania, with thousands more housed in county jails at any given time. These figures may not seem like a lot given the state’s overall jailed population, however 80% of incarcerated women are identified as the primary caretaker of children. Not surprisingly, women who are incarcerated have an outsized impact on our communities and on future generations. The fact is children of an incarcerated parent/caretaker are more likely to drop out of school, struggle with their mental and emotional health, and eventually become incarcerated themselves. This is why it is imperative that we provide opportunities for families to remain intact, by offering alternative individualized community-based sentencing. Many states are changing the way they choose to sentence primary caretakers, and we should also. Please join us in helping current and future generations to grow and succeed, by supporting this legislation. |
Introduced as HB1885