Substitute House Bill 8 Summary

• Prohibits law enforcement, court, and corrections officials from restraining or confining pregnant female children charged with delinquent acts or pregnant women charged with crimes during pregnancy, transport to hospital, labor, delivery, and up to six weeks postpartum, unless specific threat conditions are met and health care professional approval is obtained.

• Restricts use of leg, ankle, or waist restraints on pregnant females even when restraint is authorized, and requires immediate removal of restraints if a health care professional notifies officials that restraint poses risk of physical harm to the pregnant person or unborn child.

• Designates violations of restraint/confinement prohibitions as interfering with civil rights, a misdemeanor of the first degree, and permits affected individuals to pursue civil actions for damages, punitive damages, and attorney's fees.

• Requires electronic audio and visual recording of custodial interrogations for specified felony offenses (homicide, sexual assault, and attempts) in places of detention, with limited exceptions for exigent circumstances, equipment malfunction, and other specific situations.

• Mandates courts provide cautionary jury instructions regarding failure to record custodial interrogations unless prosecution establishes by preponderance of evidence that exceptions apply; does not permit exclusion of statements based solely on recording failure.