Utah Law Enforcement Leaders Urge Extension of Home Visiting to Address 600% Increase in Incarceration of Women

Renewal of federal home visiting program is vital because 200,000 women are behind bars, and almost two-thirds of the women in state prisons are mothers

WHO:             Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank

                        Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill

Kami Peterson, Nurse-Family Partnership Nurse Supervisor for the

Salt Lake County Health Department

WHAT:          Release of a new report, “Orange is Not Your Color,” that documents the impact of voluntary home visiting programs for expectant and new mothers who live in poverty.

                        These programs bring trained nurses or other trained mentors into the women's homes to help them understand their children's emotional needs, make their homes safe for children, and respond appropriately to stressful parenting situations to reduce child abuse and neglect. The report documents the significant impact voluntary home visiting can have on reducing incarceration of women and their daughters.

                        Citing a 600 percent rise in the incarceration of women during the past

three decades, 65 Utah law enforcement leaders are among the more than 1,000 police chiefs, sheriffs and prosecutors have signed a letter urging Congress to renew the Maternal, Infant, Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program, which funds home visiting in Utah and around the nation.

WHERE:        Salt Lake City Public Safety Building, 475 S. 300 E., Salt Lake City

801 799 3000

WHEN:          Tuesday, December 2, 11 a.m.