By C1 Staff
HARRISBURG, Pa. – Senator David Argall’s bill to support a ‘Corrections Officer Bill of Rights’ has been approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee, on Monday.
BCTV reports that senate bill 476 would provide standards to protect the right of state correctional officers during certain investigations by the Department of Corrections.
The measure includes provisions guaranteeing prompt notification and investigation of complaints.
Argall says it’s a matter of fairness and giving public servants the same due process as the prisoners they oversee.
“If state police and corrections officers can lay down their lives to protect Pennsylvanians, we can uphold the same principle afforded to citizens that everyone is ‘innocent until proven guilty,’” Argall said. “This legislation ensures our public servants who protect us, whether it be inside prisons or out on the streets, are protected with this basic, fundamental right.”
The bill will now head to the full Senate for consideration.