Provides doula services at all correctional institutions and local correctional facilities; requires the department of corrections and community supervision to retain an organization to make at least two doulas at any given time available to provide doula services twice a week, for four hours, at all correctional institutions and local correctional facilities that house incarcerated individuals who identify as female, as well as to provide doula services during labor and delivery, upon request.
A04073 would amend New York’s correction law to require the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to provide doula services in state correctional institutions and local correctional facilities. The bill defines a doula broadly as a trained person who provides physical, emotional, and informational support before, during, and shortly after childbirth. It directs the department to retain an organization that can make at least two doulas available at any given time for twice-weekly, four-hour visits at facilities housing incarcerated individuals who identify as female, and to provide doula support during labor and delivery upon request.
The bill also requires access for doulas to nurseries, programming areas, and medical appointments when requested, and it ensures that all known pregnant individuals in custody may use doula services in labor, delivery, and postpartum rooms. In addition, the department must report every six months, beginning January 15, 2027, on the number of service hours, the types of services provided, and the number of incarcerated individuals served, with the report submitted to legislative leaders and posted online in machine-readable form.
If enacted, the bill would create a new statutory duty in the correction law requiring DOCCS and local correctional facilities to facilitate and fund access to doula services for incarcerated pregnant people, especially those housed in facilities for individuals who identify as female. It would expand the scope of health-related support available in custody, affect facility access rules for outside service providers, and impose recurring reporting obligations on the department. The measure would not change criminal penalties or sentencing rules, but it would alter correctional health and pregnancy-related services and likely require administrative coordination, contracting, and resource allocation.
No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of floor or committee sentiment in the available record. Based on the bill text and caption, the measure appears to be framed as a maternal health and dignity initiative for incarcerated pregnant people, with an emphasis on access to supportive care during pregnancy, labor, delivery, and postpartum recovery. The reporting requirement suggests an interest in oversight and accountability, but the absence of debate materials means the overall political reception cannot be determined from the supplied information.
The main likely points of contention are operational and policy-based: whether correctional facilities should be required to provide outside doula access, how the service would be funded, and how security and staffing concerns would be managed. Another possible issue is the bill’s focus on facilities housing incarcerated individuals who identify as female, which may raise questions about coverage, implementation, and eligibility in mixed or gender-diverse settings. Supporters would likely emphasize maternal health outcomes and humane treatment, while skeptics may focus on cost, logistics, and institutional control.