PRINTER'S NO. 2110
No. 1688 Session of 1997
INTRODUCED BY PERZEL, JUNE 17, 1997
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, JUNE 17, 1997
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of May 16, 1921 (P.L.579, No.262), entitled, as
2 amended, "An act providing for the better management of the
3 jails or county prisons in the several counties of this
4 Commonwealth of the third, fourth, fifth classes and in
5 certain counties of the sixth, seventh and eighth classes by
6 creating, in such counties, a board to be known by the name
7 and style of inspectors of the jail or county prison, with
8 authority to appoint a warden of such prison, and by vesting
9 in said board, and the officers appointed by it, the safe-
10 keeping, discipline, and employment of prisoners and the
11 government and management of said jails or county prisons,"
12 further defining powers of wardens and correction officers;
13 establishing a committee to formulate a basic course of
14 study; and defining correction officer.
15 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
16 hereby enacts as follows:
17 Section 1. Section 2.1 of the act of May 16, 1921 (P.L.579,
18 No.262), referred to as the County Prison Board Law, reenacted
19 October 26, 1972 (P.L.1053, No.265), is amended to read:
20 Section 2.1. [All wardens, deputy wardens, keepers, guards,
21 turnkeys and matrons shall have, and may exercise, the powers of
22 peace officers in the performance of their duties generally in
23 guarding, protecting and delivering prisoners, in protecting the
1 property and interests of the county, and in capturing and
2 returning prisoners that may have escaped.] All wardens,
3 superintendents, deputy wardens of operations, deputy
4 superintendents of operations and correction officers of all
5 ranks shall exercise the powers of peace officers in performance
6 of their duties as follows:
7 (1) Guarding, protecting and delivering prisoners.
8 (2) Enforcing the laws of this Commonwealth or all property
9 owned or operated under the jurisdiction of the Department of
10 Corrections.
11 (3) Enforcing the laws of this Commonwealth as directed by
12 the Governor.
13 Section 2. The act is amended by adding a section to read:
14 Section 2.2. (a) The Department of Corrections and the
15 Pennsylvania State Police shall establish a committee consisting
16 of three persons from each agency to formulate a mandatory basic
17 course of study, which is to include a minimum of six weeks of
18 classroom study, for correction officers. Courses shall begin
19 one year from the date of final enactment of this section.
20 (b) Officers employed before passage of this act are not
21 required to take the basic course of study. Instead, they are
22 required to have forty hours of appropriate training in arrest
23 procedures to be given by the Pennsylvania State Police Training
24 Academy.
25 (c) As used in section 2.1 and this section, a "correction
26 officer" shall mean a person who is charged solely with the
27 care, custody and control of prisoners. The term includes
28 commanding officers, sergeants, lieutenants, captains, majors,
29 deputy superintendents of operations and superintendents.
30 Section 3. This act shall take effect as follows:
19970H1688B2110 - 2 -
1 (1) The amendment of section 2.1 of the act shall take
2 effect in 60 days.
3 (2) The addition of section 2.2 of the act shall take
4 effect immediately.
5 (3) This section shall take effect immediately.
F16L61JRW/19970H1688B2110 - 3 -