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| 5 | 5 | | 2025 -- S 0811 |
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| 6 | 6 | | ======== |
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| 7 | 7 | | LC001289 |
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| 8 | 8 | | ======== |
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| 9 | 9 | | S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D |
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| 10 | 10 | | IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 11 | 11 | | JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025 |
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| 12 | 12 | | ____________ |
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| 13 | 13 | | |
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| 14 | 14 | | A N A C T |
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| 15 | 15 | | RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- THE BODY CAMERAS FOR |
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| 16 | 16 | | CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES ACT -- THE WILLIE WASHINGTON, JR. ACT |
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| 17 | 17 | | Introduced By: Senators Mack, Euer, Kallman, Acosta, Valverde, Quezada, Pearson, |
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| 18 | 18 | | McKenney, and Bell |
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| 19 | 19 | | Date Introduced: March 14, 2025 |
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| 20 | 20 | | Referred To: Senate Judiciary |
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| 21 | 21 | | |
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| 22 | 22 | | |
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| 23 | 23 | | It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
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| 24 | 24 | | SECTION 1. Title 42 of the General Laws entitled "STATE AFFAIRS AND 1 |
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| 25 | 25 | | GOVERNMENT" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: 2 |
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| 26 | 26 | | CHAPTER 56.1 3 |
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| 27 | 27 | | THE BODY CAMERAS FOR CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES ACT 4 |
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| 28 | 28 | | 42-56.1-1. Short title. 5 |
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| 29 | 29 | | This act shall be known and may be cited as "The Willie Washington, Jr. Act". 6 |
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| 30 | 30 | | 42-56.1-2. Definitions. 7 |
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| 31 | 31 | | The following words shall have the following meanings in this chapter: 8 |
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| 32 | 32 | | (1) "Body camera" means a portable video recording device worn by correctional staff to 9 |
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| 33 | 33 | | capture incidents occurring in real-time within correctional facilities. 10 |
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| 34 | 34 | | (2) "Incarcerated individuals" means any person held in custody within a facility operated 11 |
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| 35 | 35 | | by the department of corrections. 12 |
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| 36 | 36 | | (3) "Staff" means employees or contractors of the department of corrections, including 13 |
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| 37 | 37 | | correctional officers, supervisors, and administrators. 14 |
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| 38 | 38 | | 42-56.1-3. Body camera requirements. 15 |
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| 39 | 39 | | (a) All correctional staff assigned to direct supervision roles shall wear body cameras while 16 |
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| 40 | 40 | | on duty within the facilities. 17 |
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| 41 | 41 | | (b) Staff shall activate body cameras during interactions with incarcerated individuals 18 |
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| 42 | 42 | | |
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| 43 | 43 | | |
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| 44 | 44 | | LC001289 - Page 2 of 4 |
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| 45 | 45 | | including, but not limited to: 1 |
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| 46 | 46 | | (1) Use of force incidents; 2 |
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| 47 | 47 | | (2) Transporting individuals; 3 |
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| 48 | 48 | | (3) Medical emergencies; and 4 |
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| 49 | 49 | | (4) Disciplinary proceedings. 5 |
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| 50 | 50 | | (c) Cameras shall record continuously during the aforementioned interactions and may only 6 |
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| 51 | 51 | | be deactivated once the situation is resolved and no further actions are anticipated. 7 |
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| 52 | 52 | | 42-56.1-4. Data access and retention. 8 |
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| 53 | 53 | | (a) Recordings shall be retained for a minimum of sixty (60) days, after which the recording 9 |
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| 54 | 54 | | shall be securely deleted unless required for an ongoing investigation or legal proceeding. 10 |
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| 55 | 55 | | (b) Access to recordings is strictly limited to authorized personnel including investigators, 11 |
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| 56 | 56 | | supervisors, and legal counsel as necessary. 12 |
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| 57 | 57 | | (c) Incarcerated individuals shall be informed through posted notices regarding the use of 13 |
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| 58 | 58 | | body cameras within the facility. When practical, individuals shall be notified if recording is 14 |
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| 59 | 59 | | occurring at the time of the incident. Individuals shall have the right to request review of footage 15 |
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| 60 | 60 | | that directly involves the individual under appropriate circumstances. 16 |
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| 61 | 61 | | 42-56.1-5. Accountability and oversight. 17 |
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| 62 | 62 | | (a) The department of corrections shall establish an independent board pursuant to the 18 |
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| 63 | 63 | | provisions of subsection (b) of this section to oversee the review of recorded incidents involving 19 |
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| 64 | 64 | | use of force, complaints against staff, or other critical incidents involving incarcerated individuals. 20 |
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| 65 | 65 | | (b) An independent incident oversight board (IIOB) shall be established, consisting of 21 |
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| 66 | 66 | | members appointed by key stakeholders, including representatives from civil rights organizations, 22 |
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| 67 | 67 | | legal experts, mental health professionals, formerly incarcerated individuals, and community 23 |
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| 68 | 68 | | leaders. 24 |
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| 69 | 69 | | (c) The IIOB shall: 25 |
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| 70 | 70 | | (1) Oversee the review of recorded incidents involving use of force, complaints against 26 |
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| 71 | 71 | | staff, or other critical incidents involving incarcerated individuals and investigate the complaints 27 |
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| 72 | 72 | | and incidents. Conduct periodic assessments and audits of facility operations, policies, and 28 |
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| 73 | 73 | | practices. 29 |
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| 74 | 74 | | (2) Provide recommendations for improvements and reforms to the department of 30 |
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| 75 | 75 | | corrections based on findings. 31 |
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| 76 | 76 | | 42-56.1-6. Reporting requirement -- Training -- Non-compliance. 32 |
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| 77 | 77 | | (a) The department of corrections shall provide biannual reports to general assembly 33 |
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| 78 | 78 | | detailing the number of incidents recorded, access requests made by incarcerated individuals, and 34 |
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| 79 | 79 | | |
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| 80 | 80 | | |
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| 81 | 81 | | LC001289 - Page 3 of 4 |
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| 82 | 82 | | incidents reviewed by the incident review board. 1 |
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| 83 | 83 | | (b) Comprehensive training shall be provided to all staff on the proper use of body cameras, 2 |
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| 84 | 84 | | data privacy, and the importance of maintaining the dignity and rights of incarcerated individuals. 3 |
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| 85 | 85 | | (c) Any staff who fail to comply with body camera policies established in this chapter shall 4 |
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| 86 | 86 | | face disciplinary actions up to and including termination of employment, as well as potential civil 5 |
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| 87 | 87 | | liabilities. 6 |
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| 88 | 88 | | (d) The department of corrections shall conduct regular audits to ensure compliance with 7 |
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| 89 | 89 | | this legislation and assess the effectiveness of body camera utilization. 8 |
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| 90 | 90 | | 42-56.1-7. Implementation. 9 |
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| 91 | 91 | | The department shall implement and establish the necessary protocol and training programs 10 |
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| 92 | 92 | | within six (6) months after passage. 11 |
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| 93 | 93 | | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 12 |
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| 94 | 94 | | ======== |
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| 95 | 95 | | LC001289 |
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| 96 | 96 | | ======== |
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| 97 | 97 | | |
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| 98 | 98 | | |
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| 99 | 99 | | LC001289 - Page 4 of 4 |
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| 100 | 100 | | EXPLANATION |
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| 101 | 101 | | BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL |
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| 102 | 102 | | OF |
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| 103 | 103 | | A N A C T |
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| 104 | 104 | | RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- THE BODY CAMERAS FOR |
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| 105 | 105 | | CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES ACT -- THE WILLIE WASHINGTON, JR. ACT |
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| 106 | 106 | | *** |
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| 107 | 107 | | This act would establish the body cameras for correctional facilities act which would 1 |
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| 108 | 108 | | mandate all department of corrections staff with direct supervision rolls to wear body cameras while 2 |
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| 109 | 109 | | on duty in their assigned facility. 3 |
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| 110 | 110 | | This act would take effect upon passage. 4 |
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| 111 | 111 | | ======== |
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| 112 | 112 | | LC001289 |
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| 113 | 113 | | ======== |
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