Bill > H3444

This bill amends Chapter 127 of the General Laws to further regulate strip searches of inmates, defining an "emergency or otherwise urgent situation" as one where a correction officer believes an inmate poses an immediate and serious threat to themselves or others, and a "strip search" as a search requiring an inmate to remove all clothing, potentially including visual inspection of body cavities. The key provision is that strip searches, including any videotaping, generally cannot be conducted by or in the immediate presence of a correction officer or employee of the opposite sex, unless it's an emergency or otherwise urgent situation. If such an exception is invoked, the officer must immediately report the circumstances to their facility's administrator or superintendent (or their designees), who will then create a report detailing the situation.