The "Births in Custody Reporting Act of 2025" (BCRA of 2025) aims to encourage States to report comprehensive information regarding pregnant individuals and those who give birth while in the custody of law enforcement agencies. States receiving certain federal funds would be required to submit quarterly, anonymized, and aggregate reports to the Attorney General. This reporting obligation applies to various custodial facilities, including municipal and county jails, State prisons, boot camp prisons, and other correctional facilities, including juvenile facilities. The required reports must include detailed information such as the total number of pregnant inmates, their race and ethnicity, and the quarter of admission. States must also report whether pregnancy tests and prenatal visits were administered promptly, and the outcomes of pregnancies, including live birth , stillbirth , miscarriage , maternal death , and preterm birth . Additionally, the reports must document the use of restraints on pregnant inmates, including the type, justification, and timing (during pregnancy, labor, or delivery), as well as postpartum care, such as screenings for postpartum depression and medical appointments, and the placement of pregnant or postpartum inmates in restrictive housing. To ensure compliance, States have 120 days from the Act's enactment to begin reporting, with a possible extension granted by the Attorney General for good faith efforts. States that fail to comply may face up to a 10-percent reduction in specific federal funds allocated under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, with reallocated funds going to compliant States. The Attorney General is mandated to publish these reports publicly and conduct a study to determine how the information can improve the treatment of pregnant and postpartum inmates, examining the relationship between adverse outcomes and facility management actions, with findings to be reported to Congress within two years.
Congressional oversightCorrectional facilities and imprisonmentGovernment information and archivesGovernment studies and investigationsHealth information and medical recordsSex and reproductive healthWomen's health
BCRA of 2025
USA119th CongressS-687| Senate
| Updated: 2/24/2025
The "Births in Custody Reporting Act of 2025" (BCRA of 2025) aims to encourage States to report comprehensive information regarding pregnant individuals and those who give birth while in the custody of law enforcement agencies. States receiving certain federal funds would be required to submit quarterly, anonymized, and aggregate reports to the Attorney General. This reporting obligation applies to various custodial facilities, including municipal and county jails, State prisons, boot camp prisons, and other correctional facilities, including juvenile facilities. The required reports must include detailed information such as the total number of pregnant inmates, their race and ethnicity, and the quarter of admission. States must also report whether pregnancy tests and prenatal visits were administered promptly, and the outcomes of pregnancies, including live birth , stillbirth , miscarriage , maternal death , and preterm birth . Additionally, the reports must document the use of restraints on pregnant inmates, including the type, justification, and timing (during pregnancy, labor, or delivery), as well as postpartum care, such as screenings for postpartum depression and medical appointments, and the placement of pregnant or postpartum inmates in restrictive housing. To ensure compliance, States have 120 days from the Act's enactment to begin reporting, with a possible extension granted by the Attorney General for good faith efforts. States that fail to comply may face up to a 10-percent reduction in specific federal funds allocated under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, with reallocated funds going to compliant States. The Attorney General is mandated to publish these reports publicly and conduct a study to determine how the information can improve the treatment of pregnant and postpartum inmates, examining the relationship between adverse outcomes and facility management actions, with findings to be reported to Congress within two years.
Congressional oversightCorrectional facilities and imprisonmentGovernment information and archivesGovernment studies and investigationsHealth information and medical recordsSex and reproductive healthWomen's health