By C1 Staff
BERKS COUNTY — County correctional officers in Pennsylvania are now getting their own ‘bill of rights.’
Draft language for a second bill focused on county correctional officers has been created and is circulating for co-sponsorship in the senate, according to Michael Zellner Jr of the Berks County Jail.
“I had contacted Sen. David Argall about having county corrections officers included [in the original bill],” Zellner said in an email. “After a few conversations and a meeting with Sen. Argall and his legislative people, he agreed to present a second, separate bill to cover the county corrections officers with a bill of very similar language.”
The bill would provide protection for county corrections officers who come under investigation, ensuring that they remain informed and keep their job during the due course of the investigation.
“The bill is not saying correctional officers never do wrong or make mistakes, just that they are treated fairly when they do,” Zellner said.
The federal correctional officers’ bill, Senate Bill 476, was approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee in October.
Read the full draft of the county correctional officers’ bill here.