HARRISBURG – The Senate Appropriations Committee supported a bill sponsored by Senator David G. Argall (R-29) that would establish the “Corrections Officers Bill of Rights” on Monday.
Senate Bill 476 would provide standards to protect the rights of state correctional officers during certain investigations by the Department of Corrections. The measure includes provisions guaranteeing prompt notification and investigation of complaints.
Argall, whose Senate district includes state prisons in Mahanoy and Frackville, says it’s a matter of fairness and giving public servants the same due process the prisoners they oversee. By comparison, state police officers are reassigned a desk job with pay while under investigation.
“If state police and corrections officers can lay down their lives to protect Pennsylvanians, we should uphold the same principle afforded to citizens that everyone is ‘innocent until proven guilty,’” Argall said. “This legislation ensures our all public servants who protect us, whether it be inside prisons or out on the streets, are protected with this basic fundamental right.”
Senate Bill 476 now heads to the full Senate for consideration.