Senate unanimously passes bill favoring home electronic incarceration for pregnant and postpartum women when possible House Bill 8 57 passed the Senate 39–0; it establishes a statutory presumption (rebuttable) that pregnant, postpartum and nursing women in jails should be placed on home electronic incarceration when possible, and clarifies the postpartum period definition.

Virginia's Senate just passed a groundbreaking bill that prioritizes the health and well-being of pregnant and postpartum women in jails by allowing home electronic incarceration when possible.

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#VA #HealthOutcomes #CitizenPortal #MotherChildBonding #VirginiaJails

Senate subcommittee carries over $36 million inmate-housing proposal, consolidates deferred-payment bills into SB 180 The General Government Subcommittee voted to carry over a proposal that would have the state pay local jails for state inmates after members flagged a roughly $36 million fiscal impact; the panel approved consolidating several post-release/deferred-payment bills into a single substitute (SB 180) and recommended it for reporting.

Virginia's Senate subcommittee is grappling with a staggering $36 million inmate-housing proposal that could reshape local budgets and services.

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#VA #CitizenPortal #VirginiaJails #CommunitySupport #CriminalJustice #FiscalResponsibility

Virginia senators back expanded jail substance-use and mental-health grants, with provisos for smaller jails The Senate committee advanced two Joint Commission on Health Care recommendations to expand jail behavioral-health grants and redirect existing program funds; members pressed for safeguards so smaller jails without community services boards (CSBs) still provide counseling and continuity of care.

Virginia senators are pushing for vital reforms to enhance mental health and substance use treatment in jails, but will smaller facilities keep pace with these changes?

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#VA #CitizenPortal #VirginiaJails #SubstanceUseTreatment #MentalHealthAccess #CrisisIntervention

Virginia enacts HB 2235 to protect pregnant incarcerated women from shackling HB 2235 limits shackling of pregnant individuals in Virginia jails for health protection.

Virginia is taking a bold step to protect the health and dignity of pregnant women in jails by limiting the inhumane practice of shackling during pregnancy and childbirth.

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#VA #CitizenPortal #MaternalHealth #CriminalJusticeReform #VirginiaJails #TraumaInformedCare