Email/Contact

 

Instructions:

  1. Scroll down to see if your state is one with little to no laws that prohibit the shackling of pregnant people in prison.
  2. If so, continue to scroll down and follow the directions to find out who your state representative is and how to contact them. 
  3. Copy our email template at the bottom of our webpage and fill in the corresponding areas when contacting your representative. 

Below is a List of States That Have Little to No Laws That Prohibit the Shackling of Pregnant People in Prison:

  • Alaska
  • Arkansas
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Hawaii
  • Iowa
  • Indiana
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Massachusetts
  • Montana
  • New Hampshire
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Oregon
  • South Carolina
  • Wyoming

How to Find Your State Representative(s) and Contact Them

  1. Use this link to find your state representative(s): https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
  2. Choose as many representatives as you would like to contact.
  3. Once you find your state representative(s), use this link to find their personal websites: https://www.house.gov/representatives 
  4. On each website, there should be a Contact Us page or header that you should click on. 
  5. Fill out the fields they ask of you and then copy and paste our email into the box that says "Message". From there, fill out the corresponding areas of the email that have brackets around them.
  6. Once you have finished that, be sure to click send!

Prewritten Email to Send to Your State Representative

Dear Representative [insert name of your Representative],

My name is [insert your name], and I would like to bring the current shackling laws for pregnant imprisoned people in [name of your state] to your attention. Currently, 32 states have some form of law that prohibits the shackling of pregnant people through part of their pregnancy and during labor, and [name of your state] does not. The shackling of pregnant people is inhumane, and acts as a gateway for other maltreatments toward pregnant people in prison. It has been medically proven to be mentally and physically harmful, and because of this, it violates the 8th amendment which prohibits, “cruel and unusual punishments”. If you would like to learn more about the harm that shackling incarcerated pregnant women can cause, I would highly recommend reading about Pamela Winn, a previously incarcerated woman who was pregnant and miscarried while in prison as a result of being shackled. I hope that this urges you to address this matter and consider proposing policies that can change this reality.

 

Thank you for your consideration,

[insert your name]