California Assembly Bill 2740, authored by Assemblymember Waldron, has successfully passed the state legislature and is now awaiting approval from Governor Newsom.
AB 2740 provides comprehensive prenatal and postnatal care for pregnant individuals in prison. The bill also directs prison officials to connect pregnant individuals with social workers within a week and ensures expedited visitation for overnight stays with newborns.
Tyrique Shipp, a Policy Fellow with the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, highlighted the importance of the bill, stating, “A prison cell is no place for somebody who is pregnant or somebody after pregnancy—it’s not safe, it’s not clean. Our goal is to ensure we can create a safe environment for these women.”
For more on AB 2740 and the challenges faced by pregnant individuals in prison, read the Bolts Magazine’s in-depth profile of the bill: https://boltsmag.org/california-prison-pregnancy/
