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        PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 56                         PRINTER'S NO. 987

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


HOUSE BILL

No. 77 Session of 1999


        INTRODUCED BY WOJNAROSKI, BELARDI, READSHAW, M. COHEN, PESCI,
           HALUSKA, STABACK, CASORIO, BARRAR, WOGAN, WILT, SEYFERT,
           WILLIAMS, HARHAI, TRELLO, MELIO, SOLOBAY, CIVERA AND ROSS,
           JANUARY 20, 1999

        AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, HOUSE OF
           REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, MARCH 16, 1999

                                     AN ACT

     1  Amending Titles 18 (Crimes and Offenses) and 42 (Judiciary and
     2     Judicial Procedure) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
     3     Statutes, further providing for escape; and providing for
     4     escape from a detention facility.

     5     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
     6  hereby enacts as follows:
     7     Section 1.  Section 5121(d) of Title 18 of the Pennsylvania
     8  Consolidated Statutes is amended to read:
     9  § 5121.  Escape.
    10     * * *
    11     (d)  Grading.--
    12         (1)  An offense under this section is a felony of the
    13     [third] second degree where:
    14             (i)  the actor was under arrest for or detained on a
    15         charge of felony or following conviction of crime;
    16             (ii)  the actor employs force, threat, deadly weapon
    17         or other dangerous instrumentality to effect the escape;


     1         or
     2             (iii)  a public servant concerned in detention of
     3         persons convicted of crime intentionally facilitates or
     4         permits an escape from a detention facility.
     5         (2)  Otherwise an offense under this section is a
     6     [misdemeanor] felony of the [second] third degree.             <--
     7     MISDEMEANOR OF THE SECOND DEGREE.                              <--
     8     * * *
     9     Section 2.  Title 42 is amended by adding a section to read:
    10  § 9720.1.  Escape from detention facility.
    11     (a)  General rule.--An individual shall be assigned to a
    12  detention facility of greater security, as classified by the
    13  Department of Corrections, to serve the remainder of the
    14  individual's term of imprisonment and any additional term of
    15  imprisonment if all of the following apply:
    16         (1)  The individual is sentenced for an offense under 18
    17     Pa.C.S. § 5121(a) (relating to escape).
    18         (2)  At the time of the offense under paragraph (1), the
    19     individual:
    20             (i)  resided in a detention facility; or
    21             (ii)  was on temporary leave from a detention
    22         facility for a specific purpose or for a limited period
    23         of time.
    24     (b)  Definition.--As used in this section, the term
    25  "detention facility" means a facility in this Commonwealth used
    26  for the custody of individuals under sentence for crimes but
    27  does not include probation or parole supervision or constraint
    28  incidental to release on bail.
    29     Section 3.  The amendment of 18 Pa.C.S. § 5121(d) shall apply
    30  to offenses committed on or after the effective date of this
    19990H0077B0987                  - 2 -

     1  act.
     2     Section 4.  This act shall take effect in 60 days.



















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