This act may be known and cited as the drug free prisons act.
The legislature recognizes that the department of corrections is responsible for enhancing public safety through the operation of safe and secure facilities. The legislature recognizes that safe and secure facilities improve safety and well-being for those experiencing incarceration, departmental employees, visitors, and volunteers. The legislature recognizes that one of the greatest risks to operating safe and secure facilities is the introduction and movement of contraband, including but not limited to alcohol and drugs. The legislature recognizes that undiagnosed, untreated, or unaddressed substance use disorder can lead to increased rates of recidivism. Therefore, the legislature intends to protect human dignity by reducing or eliminating strip searches, and to increase public safety by reducing access to drugs and alcohol in correctional facilities and to increase substance use disorder diagnosis, treatment, and services.
This section adds a new section to an existing chapter 72.09. Here is the modified chapter for context.
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The department shall establish a comprehensive body scanner program at the Washington corrections center for women and at a state correctional facility serving male incarcerated individuals as part of an expanded pilot program to create drug-free state correctional facilities. The scanner must be capable of detecting the presence of contraband contained under clothing and within body cavities, and must meet applicable federal and state radiation and safety standards.
The department shall develop policies and procedures necessary to establish a comprehensive body scanner program that shall be utilized to conduct security screenings for employees, contractors, visitors, volunteers, incarcerated individuals, and other persons entering the secure perimeter of the correctional facility participating in the pilot program under this section. Alternative search methods shall be used for persons who are minors, individuals who are health compromised, individuals with disabilities, individuals who may be pregnant, and individuals who may meet the maximum allowable monthly or annual radiation dosage limit specified by the department of health.
The department shall provide appropriate custody and nursing staff levels for body scanners installed at a state correctional facility under this section. Staffing must be adequate to provide for subsequent searches and dry cell watches if a body scan indicates the presence of contraband.
An incarcerated individual with a body scan indicating the presence of substance-related contraband shall undergo, if appropriate, a comprehensive assessment for substance use disorder and receive relevant substance use disorder treatment services, including medication-assisted treatment. The department shall prioritize substance use disorder treatment services for incarcerated individuals with cognitive, behavioral, and physiological symptoms indicating the incarcerated individual is experiencing a substance use disorder rather than transporting the substance for another.
A department employee, contractor, visitor, or volunteer with a body scan indicating the presence of contraband shall be disciplined in accordance with department policies.
The department shall provide appropriate radiation safety and body scanner operation training to all staff who will administer the body scan. Only staff who have completed all related trainings may be permitted to operate the body scanner and review body scans. The department shall develop policies, in consultation and collaboration with the department of health, on scanner use and screening procedures, including frequency and radiation exposure limits, to minimize harmful radiation exposure while safely and effectively utilizing the full body scanners to create drug-free correctional facilities. The department shall develop a method to track and maintain records on the frequency of body scans conducted on any individual subject to the comprehensive body scanner program to comply with any maximum allowable monthly and annual radiation dosage limits that may be set by the department of health.
The secretary shall adopt any rules and policies necessary to implement the requirements of this section.
By December 1st each year, and in compliance with RCW 43.01.036, the department shall submit a report to the governor and the legislature on:
The number and types of individuals, including visitors, employees, contractors, and volunteers, with positive body scans in the prior year and the disciplinary action taken;
The types of contraband detected by the body scanner;
The number of confiscated substances in the prior five years; and
The number of incarcerated individuals with positive body scans for substance-related contraband in the prior year who were assessed for substance use disorder and received substance use disorder treatment services while incarcerated.
For the purposes of this section:
"Contraband" has the meaning as in RCW 9A.76.010;
"Dry cell watch" means the placement of an incarcerated person in a secure room or cell for the safe recovery of internally concealed contraband; and
"Substance use disorder treatment services" means services licensed by the department of health or provided as part of a substance use disorder treatment program that has been approved by the department of health.
This section expires June 30, 2024.