HB 1648

Abstract

State correctional facilities; treatment of prisoners known to be pregnant or who are parents of minor children. Provides for rules and regulations regarding the treatment, control, and education of prisoners known to be pregnant and prisoners who are primary caretakers of minor children in state correctional facilities. The bill requires the Department of Corrections to include in the training it provides for state correctional officers and juvenile correctional officers who may have contact with pregnant inmates training on the general care of pregnant women and the impact of restraints, restrictive housing or solitary confinement, and body cavity searches on such inmates. The bill requires the Director of the Department of Corrections, after accounting for safety, security, and operational factors, to place prisoners who are known primary caretakers of minor children in a facility as close as possible to such children. The bill also requires correctional officers, when (i) contact is required between such officer and an inmate, (ii) the inmate is required to disrobe, and (iii) the officer is not the same gender as the inmate, to submit a written report to the official in charge of the state or local correctional facility within 72 hours following the incident containing the justification for the suspension of the requirement that such incident occur only during the period of a declared emergency. The bill further authorizes the Director of the Department of Corrections to prescribe reasonable rules regarding visitation that include authorization of visitation by minor dependents of prisoners who are primary caretakers of minor children with Level 1 or Level 2 security classifications.

State and local correctional facilities; treatment ofprisoners known to be pregnant or who are parents of minor children. Providesfor rules and regulations regarding the treatment, control, and education of prisonersknown to be pregnant and prisoners who are parents of minor children in stateand local correctional facilities. The bill requires the Department ofCorrections to include in the training it provides for deputy sheriffs and jailofficers, state correctional officers, and juvenile correctional officers whomay have contact with pregnant inmates training on the general care of pregnantwomen and the impact of restraints, restrictive housing, and body cavitysearches on such inmates. The bill requires the Director of the Department ofCorrections, to the extent practicable, after accounting for security andcapacity factors, to place prisoners who are parents of minor children in afacility as close as possible to such children. The bill also provides that thesheriff, jail superintendent, or other jail administrator shall prescribe rulesfor local or regional jails to ensure that when physical contact is requiredbetween an officer and an inmate and when the inmate is required bycircumstances to disrobe, the officer shall be the same gender as the inmateand that such rules may allow for the suspension of such provisions during theperiod of a declared emergency. Additionally, when contact is required betweena jail or correctional officer and an inmate and when the inmate is required todisrobe and the officer is not the same gender as the inmate, the bill requiresthe officer to submit a written report to the official in charge of the stateor local correctional facility within 72 hours following the incident,containing the justification for the suspension of the requirement that suchinstance occur only during the period of a declared emergency. The bill furtherprovides that the Director of the Department of Corrections is authorized toprescribe reasonable rules regarding visitation that shall includeauthorization of visitation by minor dependents of prisoners who are parents ofminor children with Level 1 or Level 2 security classifications.