PRINTER'S NO. 3425
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
800
Session of
2020
INTRODUCED BY LEE, DONATUCCI, KOSIEROWSKI, WEBSTER, HILL-EVANS,
RABB, A. DAVIS, SOLOMON, FREEMAN, KINSEY, HARRIS, CEPHAS,
BROOKS, SCHLOSSBERG, SHUSTERMAN, MURT, RAVENSTAHL, DEASY,
GAINEY, McCLINTON, GALLOWAY, ROEBUCK, HOWARD, KENYATTA,
SCHWEYER, CONKLIN, FRANKEL, KIM, HOHENSTEIN, T. DAVIS,
PASHINSKI AND D. MILLER, MARCH 10, 2020
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, MARCH 10, 2020
A RESOLUTION
Directing the Joint State Government Commission to conduct a
study on the access to social workers for incarcerated
individuals in Pennsylvania and the optimal ratio of social
workers to incarcerated individuals and issue a report of its
findings and recommendations to the House of Representatives.
WHEREAS, The Department of Corrections oversees more than
47,000 incarcerated individuals in an overburdened State
correctional system in this Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, The Department of Corrections currently employs 49
correctional social workers at 25 institutions covering 44,850
incarcerated individuals, resulting in a ratio of 1 social
worker for every 915 incarcerated individuals in this
Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, The absence of licensed social workers and
psychological managers places reliance on correctional officers
who are not qualified to give legal or personal advice, nor
required by law to advise in the best interest of incarcerated
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
individuals; and
WHEREAS, The insufficient capacity of the Commonwealth's
overburdened correctional system places an extraneous onus on
incarcerated individuals to function as their own advocates and
learn the laws particular to their sentencing without adequate
access to resources; and
WHEREAS, The dearth of resources and the inability for
incarcerated individuals to seek proper counsel are egregious
flaws in our judicial system that contribute to correctional
social workers being extremely overworked; and
WHEREAS, The unreasonable volume of case work leads to
lengthy administrative backlogs for filing necessary paperwork
and appointments, which lead to untreated, frustrated and
neglected incarcerated individuals, decreasing the overall
quality of life for incarcerated individuals; and
WHEREAS, According to a study conducted by the University of
Connecticut, when incarcerated individuals have difficulty
consulting with administrative professionals, the role of the
social worker is transformed from the traditional mental health
advocate role and extended to advocacy, discharge planning,
professional skills development and implementation of safety and
wellness programs; and
WHEREAS, Oftentimes, a correctional social worker may be an
incarcerated individual's main resource for mental health
services, and to restrict access to a social worker is to
belittle the reality of mental illness in incarcerated settings;
and
WHEREAS, The Department of Corrections observed that
approximately 33.1% of the population of incarcerated
individuals in this Commonwealth is treated for mental illness,
20200HR0800PN3425 - 2 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
with approximately 30.9% of the male population actively
receiving mental health treatment and approximately 68.6% of the
female population currently receiving mental health treatment;
and
WHEREAS, Approximately 43.7% of individuals released from
institutions will be reincarcerated within three years; and
WHEREAS, Pennsylvania's high recidivism rate directly costs
taxpayers approximately $224 million every year in addition to
the high social and economic burden on this Commonwealth with
more than $2 billion in annual costs that are borne by
incarcerated individuals, families and communities, which
include, but are not limited to, lost wages, reduced lifetime
earnings, eviction costs, visitation costs, interest on criminal
justice debt, adverse health effects, increased infant
mortality, children's education levels and subsequent wages as
adults, children rendered homeless by parental incarceration,
child welfare costs, divorce, decreased property values and the
criminogenic nature of prison; and
WHEREAS, To hold our institutions accountable on the promises
for rehabilitation, every resource provided should prevent
recidivism, beginning with the recognition that correctional
social workers provide a crucial role in developing healthy
wellness skills and addressing psychosocial issues for holistic
and permanent rehabilitation; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives direct the Joint
State Government Commission to conduct a study on the access to
social workers for incarcerated individuals in Pennsylvania and
the optimal ratio of social workers to incarcerated individuals
and issue a report of its findings and recommendations to the
House of Representatives; and be it further
20200HR0800PN3425 - 3 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
RESOLVED, That the recommended number or ratio of social
workers to incarcerated individuals within the prison systems of
this Commonwealth:
(1) be based on the current number of Department of
Corrections social workers; and
(2) quantify the gap in current versus target case load
per social worker;
and be it further
RESOLVED, That the study advise the best course of action to
protect the rights of incarcerated individuals in this
Commonwealth and grant incarcerated individuals access to
compassionate and rehabilitative care; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Joint State Government Commission report
its findings and recommendations to the House of Representatives
no later than one year after the adoption of this resolution.
20200HR0800PN3425 - 4 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15