North Dakota
North Dakota bill would allow children to live with mothers in prisons
BISMARCK — A North Dakota bill could allow children to temporarily live with their mothers in prison.
The North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has requested legislation that would let children reside at the Heart River Correctional Center in Mandan with their mothers.
Senate Bill 2115
would let the DOCR hire staff and develop policy to achieve that goal.
The bill also would prevent the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and its staff from being held liable for any injuries to the children unless “the injury is affirmatively caused by the negligent act of a state employee.”
Mothers would be responsible for their children, including medical expenses, DOCR Director Colby Braun told The Forum. Medical care would have to be sought outside the facility, he said.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to work on the bill — a hearing for SB 2115 is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15.
The legislation is focused on mothers who come to Heart River while pregnant, Braun said. If a woman births her child while in custody, SB 2115 would allow the mother and baby to stay together for some time after birth, he said, adding that doing so provides better outcomes for families.
“What we’re trying to do is really support the goal of … making sure that we’re keeping good contact with mom and their children prior to them leaving prison,” he said.
The bill doesn’t limit the age of a child who could live with their mother in prison. That could allow children to spend time with their mothers over a short time period, such as a weekend, shortly before a woman is released from prison, Braun said.
The legislation would give children the opportunity to reconnect with mothers as they prepare to leave prison and return to their families, he said.
The bill doesn’t say how long a child could live in the prison. It’s unclear how much the change could cost the state, according to a fiscal note attached to the bill.
The DOCR is still working on the policy that would detail the logistics of allowing children to live in Heart River. For now, the bill only addresses liability and creates the authority to allow mothers to have their children with them in the prison.
Parental separation impacts
Parental separation due to incarceration can have extreme effects on children, said Wanda Bertram, communication strategist for the
Prison Policy Initiative.
That includes lower educational performance in school, a higher likelihood that children end up in the foster care system and termination of parental rights, the nonprofit said.
“This is all documented to lead to a host of different negative factors in the child’s life,” Bertram told The Forum. “So, anything that can be done to mitigate that is a step in the right direction.”
The nonprofit that researches criminal justice reform has advocated for releasing incarcerated parents of young children, Bertram said. At least a dozen states have made laws addressing family separation.
Sometimes called a nursery prison program, a small number of states allow children to temporarily live with their mothers in prisons.
South Dakota
allows incarcerated mothers to bond with their children for 30 months after the child’s birth.
Some states and the federal government have proximity laws, which set a maximum distance between the facility where a parent is incarcerated and where their children live.
Minnesota
allows mothers who have been sentenced to prison to live at home with their children for up to a year after birth.
The DOCR hasn’t discussed releasing mothers from custody so they could care for children outside of prisons, Braun said.
States have been slow to adopt a program like North Dakota could because they don’t have the facilities to do so, Bertram said.
“Something like a prison nursery program involves a lot of investment in new infrastructure,” she said, noting increasing funds for the prison system can move slowly.
States also typically incarcerate a small number of women, she said. Of the 2,033 inmates who are incarcerated in North Dakota, 260, or 13%, are women, according to data from the DOCR.
“When you’re talking about programs that involve building new infrastructure or allocating resources to new programs, and something that’s going to impact a quite small number of people, it’s understandable why movement on that would be slow,” Bertram said.
Allowing incarcerated mothers to keep their babies with them in North Dakota has been a topic of discussion for “a long time,” Braun said. North Dakota previously didn’t have the space to do it, he said.
“As we’re looking at a new women’s facility, … one of the goals that we had is being able to have a unit where mom and baby could be together,” he said.
Heart River and the Dakota Women’s Correctional and Rehabilitation Center in New England are North Dakota’s only female prisons. Until recently, the New England facility was the state’s only prison for women.
North Dakota plans to
build a 260-bed women’s prison at Heart River
to replace the New England facility. The $161.2 million project was approved in 2023 and is expected to take three years to complete.
Submitted Photo
U.S. Air Force veteran Jim Clifford of Minot is shown with the Lincoln Memorial in the background during his trip to the Washington, D.C., area with the Western North Dakota Honor Flight.
U.S. Air Force veteran Jim Clifford of Minot said his recent trip to the Washington, D.C., area with the Western North Dakota Honor Flight was a memorable one.
“The honor is so great,” he said.
Clifford was among more than 100 veterans on the trip from Bismarck, Sunday, April 26, and returning, Monday, April 27. Besides Clifford, several other Minot veterans made the trip.
He said he was very impressed with the N.D. Western Honor Flight organization and the coordination of the trip.
“The coordination is unbelievable. We had a police escort from our hotel room in Arlington, Virginia, to the Capitol. It was right at rush hour,” he said. He said the group of veterans traveled in four buses.
When they arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport, people with signs were standing to the side to greet them.
“It was just unbelievable,” he said. When they left the Bismarck airport, he said, the lobby there was full of people. He said Bismarck comes out really well for the veterans going on these trips and it was the same when the Western N.D. Honor Flight was out of Minot for the first time in April 2025.
Clifford was active duty in the Air Force from 1971-75. For 10 months he served in Taiwan but his Air Force time before and after was at Minot Air Force Base with the fire department.
“My first fire chief was Ken Gillespie,” he said. Gillespie’s son, Ken Gillespie aka Dizzy the Clown, is well known in the Minot area.
After discharge from the Air Force, Clifford continued civil service with the base fire department from 1976-2008, retiring as fire chief.
During the Honor Flight trip, Clifford said, they visited many highlights — veterans’ memorials including World War II, Korean and Vietnam, the U.S. Capitol and the Dulles Air and Space Museum. Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak, R-ND, and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum met with the group during their visit.
The veterans also visited Arlington National Cemetery.
“We got to see the Changing of the Guard and see them laying two wreaths,” he said.
At a banquet held that night for the veterans at their hotel, the Hyatt Regency in Arlington, he said the sentinel, the lead person for the Changing of the Guard, spoke to them.
“It was a very worthwhile trip. If you’re a veteran, you need to sign up for it,” Clifford said of the Honor Flight.
The Western North Dakota Honor Flight will be the grand marshal of the 2026 North Dakota State Parade Saturday, July 18, in Minot.
A celebration of life is being held in Moorhead on Friday for Liz Anne Conmy, who was killed alongside her partner in a plane crash in Brooklyn Park on Saturday.
The celebration of life will take place at RiverHaven Events Center from 4:30 P.M. to 7:30 P.M.
Those paying their respects are asked not to wear black in accordance with Conmy’s wishes, who said that one shouldn’t wear black to a funeral because it should be a celebration, and are asked to wear something colorful instead.
North Dakota State Representative Conmy and her partner, Dr. Joseph Cass, a retired Mayo Clinic orthopedic surgeon, were killed when the Beechcraft F33A they were in crashed near Crystal airport.
At this time, an investigation into what caused the crash is still ongoing.
SEE North Dakota lawmaker 1 of 2 killed in plane crash near Crystal Airport
Commy, a mother of four with ties to Minnesota State University and the University of St. Thomas, was known for her dedication to environmental and educational issues.
Friends say the couple had a passion for flying and traveled together all over the country, including in Minnesota, where Cass had a lake house.
SEE Friends, colleagues remember North Dakota lawmaker and partner killed in plane crash
Conmy’s political colleagues say she was preparing to run for a second term in the North Dakota House of Representatives.
Submitted Photo
Randy Burckhard, right, receives the Commander’s Award for Public Service from Gen. S.L. Davis, left, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command and commander of Air Forces Strategic-Air, U.S. Strategic Command. The award was presented Tuesday, April 28, at the 2026 North Dakota Nuclear Triad Symposium in Minot. Photo from Minot Area Chamber EDC.
Randy Burckhard of Minot was caught by surprise when he was called to the stage to accept an award at the 2026 North Dakota Nuclear Triad Symposium held in Minot Tuesday, April 28.
Gen. S.L. Davis, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command and commander of Air Forces Strategic-Air, U.S. Strategic Command, presented Burckhard with the Commander’s Award for Public Service.
The award is in recognition of Burckhard’s distinguished service as an outstanding Air Force advocate representing Minot and surrounding areas, as part of the Air Force Global Strike Command Civic Leader Program, from Jan. 1, 2010-December 31, 2025.
“Randy has been a great supporter. He was an honorary commander when I was a wing commander (at Minot AFB from June 2011-June 2012). He became an Air Force Global Strike Civic Leader,” Davis said.
He said Burckhard recently asked to be moved to emeritus status but will continue to serve as a mentor for his replacement with the program.
Burckhard said it has been an honor and pleasure for him to serve and gave his appreciation for the award.
Maj. Thomas Barger, chief of Public Affairs at Minot Air Force Base, read the citation accompanying the award to symposium participants.
The citation states that during his tenure in the Air Force Global Strike Command Civic Leader Program, Burckhard represented the communities surrounding Minot AFB and supported the 36,000 airmen and families in Air Force Global Strike Command.
The citation also noted he provided vital advocacy for Spouse Licensure, the Interstate Compact for students, and tax exemptions for military members and retirees in North Dakota.
Burckhard, a state senator for 16 years, will retire at the conclusion of his term in late November.
The citation said that additionally, he advocated for the B-21, Sentinel and MH-139 programs through both his role on the Civic Leader Program, and as a leader with Task Force 21, whose Nuclear Triad Symposiums have served as a vital platform for both education and advocacy for the nuclear mission.
He routinely advised command senior leaders during annual commander’s conferences on matters affecting community partners, and highlighted community issues key to the Command’s mission. He also enhanced public awareness and support for Global Strike issues through engagements with his local, regional, state and national contacts.
“The distinctive accomplishments of Mr. Burckhard reflect great credit upon himself, Air Force Global Strike Command and the United States Air Force,” the citation concludes.
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