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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Thomas Caltagirone |
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Caltagirone prison reform bill passes House
HARRISBURG, April 7 –The House today passed legislation authored by state Rep. Tom Caltagirone, D-Berks, that would update the current law governing the treatment of seriously and terminally ill prison inmates.
The bill (H.B. 7) was one of a package of bills aimed at reforming the state's prisons. It would improve the process of transferring ailing inmates by establishing a petitioning process where the Department of Corrections or the chief administrator of a county jail could petition the sentencing court for permission to place the inmates into hospitals, nursing homes or hospices, depending on their medical care needs.
It would also require that all parties involved in the transfer, including prosecutors, crime victims, or the patients or residents at the medical facility, be notified when a petition is circulated.
"The purpose of this legislation is to improve current procedures in handling the medical treatment of inmates," Caltagirone said.
Under the bill, the petitioner would be required to present the court with clear and convincing evidence of the need for inmates to receive outside medical care. The bill would also require the court to deny petitions where an inmate’s placement would create a risk of escape or danger to the community.
Caltagirone said that under the bill, once a prisoner’s condition improved, he or she would have to be returned to the correctional facility.
The measure now goes to the Senate for approval.
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