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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 7186
January Session, 2025
AN ACT ESTABLISHING A PILOT PROGRAM CONCERNING THE USE
OF BODY SCANNING MACHINES IN CERTAIN CORRECTIONAL
FACILITIES AND REQUIRING REPORTS CONCERNING STRIP AND
CAVITY SEARCHES IN CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (Effective from passage) (a) Not later than December 31, 2025, 1
the Commissioner of Correction shall (1) purchase at least two body 2
scanning machines, and install at least one at the York Correctional 3
Institution and at least one at the John R. Manson Youth Institution, 4
Cheshire, and (2) establish a pilot program and directives that prioritize 5
using such machines to inspect persons who are incarcerated in said 6
institutions in lieu of correctional personnel conducting strip searches 7
or cavity searches when such searches are typically performed, 8
according to the existing directives. As part of such pilot program, the 9
commissioner shall train correctional personnel in the use of such 10
machines and collect data concerning such use. 11
(b) Not later than February 15, 2027, the Commissioner of Correction 12
shall submit a report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a 13
of the general statutes, to the joint standing committees of the General 14
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to the judiciary and 15
government oversight. Such report shall include, but need not be 16
limited to, (1) the total number of body scans performed by the body 17 Substitute Bill No. 7186
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scanning machines during the 2026 calendar year based upon the reason 18
for the scan, by month, (2) the number of strip or cavity searches 19
conducted during the 2026 calendar year, by month, (3) the total number 20
of such body scans that discovered contraband material, by month, (4) 21
the types and material of contraband discovered during such period, 22
differentiated by the type of search or scan performed, (5) the use of any 23
additional screening subsequent to the implementation of the body 24
scanning machines, including a strip search, placement on a dry cell 25
watch, urinalysis or medical assessment to confirm contraband was not 26
present, and (6) any recommendations for legislative changes based 27
upon the results of such pilot program. 28
Sec. 2. (Effective from passage) Not later than February 15, 2026, the 29
Commissioner of Correction shall submit a report, in accordance with 30
the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint 31
standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of 32
matters relating to the judiciary and government oversight. Such report 33
shall include an evaluation of current directives and procedures for strip 34
searches and cavity searches in correctional institutions in the state 35
compared to other states in the northeastern region and federal policies, 36
based on the type of institution, and highlight any differences in such 37
directives and procedures. 38
Sec. 3. (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) For the purposes described in 39
subsection (b) of this section, the State Bond Commission shall have the 40
power from time to time to authorize the issuance of bonds of the state 41
in one or more series and in principal amounts not exceeding in the 42
aggregate five hundred thousand dollars. 43
(b) The proceeds of the sale of such bonds, to the extent of the amount 44
stated in subsection (a) of this section, shall be used by the Department 45
of Correction for the purpose of purchasing two body scanning 46
machines, installing such machines and training corrections staff on 47
their use in accordance with the provisions of section 1 of this act. 48
(c) All provisions of section 3-20 of the general statutes, or the exercise 49 Substitute Bill No. 7186
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of any right or power granted thereby, that are not inconsistent with the 50
provisions of this section are hereby adopted and shall apply to all 51
bonds authorized by the State Bond Commission pursuant to this 52
section. Temporary notes in anticipation of the money to be derived 53
from the sale of any such bonds so authorized may be issued in 54
accordance with section 3-20 of the general statutes and from time to 55
time renewed. Such bonds shall mature at such time or times not 56
exceeding twenty years from their respective dates as may be provided 57
in or pursuant to the resolution or resolutions of the State Bond 58
Commission authorizing such bonds. None of such bonds shall be 59
authorized except upon a finding by the State Bond Commission that 60
there has been filed with it a request for such authorization that is signed 61
by or on behalf of the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management 62
and states such terms and conditions as said commission, in its 63
discretion, may require. Such bonds issued pursuant to this section shall 64
be general obligations of the state and the full faith and credit of the state 65
of Connecticut are pledged for the payment of the principal of and 66
interest on such bonds as the same become due, and accordingly and as 67
part of the contract of the state with the holders of such bonds, 68
appropriation of all amounts necessary for punctual payment of such 69
principal and interest is hereby made, and the State Treasurer shall pay 70
such principal and interest as the same become due. 71
Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective from passage) On or before January 1, 2026, and 72
annually thereafter, the Commissioner of Correction shall submit a 73
report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general 74
statutes, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly 75
having cognizance of matters relating to the judiciary and government 76
oversight, concerning the conduct of strip and cavity searches in such 77
facilities. Such report shall include, but need not be limited to: (1) The 78
number of strip searches and cavity searches of persons who are 79
incarcerated that have occurred during the prior calendar year, 80
disaggregated by correctional facility, (2) whether there have been any 81
lawsuits filed concerning such strip searches or cavity searches during 82
the year immediately preceding such report and, if so, the status or 83 Substitute Bill No. 7186
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outcome of such lawsuits, and (3) a copy of the current policy 84
concerning the conduct of such searches, including any training 85
requirements for correctional officers concerning the conduct of such 86
searches. 87
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage New section
Sec. 2 from passage New section
Sec. 3 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 4 from passage New section
Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
In Section 1(a)(1) and (b)(5), "body scanner" was changed to "body
scanning" for consistency, and in Section 4(1), "broken out" was
changed to "disaggregated" for clarity.
GOS Joint Favorable Subst.