A New Bill Protecting Pregnant Mothers From Jail Reaches Governor Rauner
Going into labor and jail are the two main topics of the bill that is sitting on Governor Bruce Rauner’s desk right now. The bill has already been passed by the Illinois House and Senate and it hopes to reduce expecting mothers, charged with non-violent offenses, to be held in jail as they await trial.
As of now, the bill needs Rauner's signature to move forward and become a law. According to the director of the Sherriff’s Justice Institute, Hanke Gratteau, a woman gave birth while in jail and that is what actually initiated the bill. This bill would require judges to find an alternative, whether that be electronic monitoring or a variety of treatments. Gratteau says the bill is coming from a moral aspect of the issue, but they are also thinking about taxpayer dollars.
