The Associated Press via The Herald-Dispatch
CHARLESTON, W. Va. — The coming session of the West Virginia Legislature will include proposals targeting misconduct by both inmates and correctional officers, after a House-Senate oversight committee endorsed several draft bills Sunday.
One measure would treat any sexual contact by an officer of an inmate as a felony. Consent could not be offered as a defense under the proposal, which exempts pat-downs and other types of searches.
A second draft bill would allow prison administrators to punish inmates who file lawsuits found to be meritless, malicious or harassing. This measure would also apply when inmates file meritless complaints with professional licensing boards.
Corrections Commissioner Jim Rubenstein said his agency sought the measure after inmates targeted doctors, nurses, teachers and others with frivolous board filings. He also said that his agency can now only reduce credits that well-behaving inmates earn daily toward reducing their sentences.
Full Story: Inmate safety added to W.Va. legislative agenda