HB 4494 Text

H. B. 4494

(By Delegates Manuel, Staton and Webb)

[Introduced February 14, 2002; referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary.]

A BILL to amend article twenty, chapter thirty-one of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated section five-e, relating to monitoring inmate telephone calls in regional jails.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That article twenty, chapter thirty-one of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated section five-e, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 20. WEST VIRGINIA REGIONAL JAIL AND CORRECTIONAL FACILITY AUTHORITY.

§31-20-5e. Monitoring of inmate telephone calls; procedures and restrictions; attorney-client privilege protected and exempted.

The executive director or his or her designee is authorized to monitor, intercept, record and disclose telephone calls to or from inmates housed in regional jails in accordance with the following provisions:

(1) All inmates housed in regional jails shall be notified in writing that their telephone conversations may be monitored, intercepted, recorded and disclosed;

(2) Only the executive director and his or her designee shall have access to recordings of inmates' telephone calls unless disclosed pursuant to subdivision (4) of this subsection;

(3) Notice shall be prominently placed on or immediately near every telephone that may be monitored;

(4) The contents of inmates' telephone calls may be disclosed to the appropriate law-enforcement agency only if the disclosure is:

(A) Necessary to safeguard the orderly operation of the regional jails;

(B) Necessary for the investigation of a crime;

(D) Necessary for the prosecution of a crime;

(E) Required by an order of a court of competent jurisdiction; or

(F) Necessary to protect persons from physical harm or the threat of physical harm;

(5) All recordings of telephone calls must be destroyed within twelve months unless disclosed pursuant to subdivision (4) of this subsection; and

(6) To safeguard the sanctity of the attorney-client privilege, a telephone line that is not monitored shall be made available for telephone calls between an inmate and his or her attorney. Such calls shall not be monitored, intercepted, recorded or disclosed in any matter.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to permit the West Virginia Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority to monitor, intercept, record and disclose all telephone calls made to or from inmates housed in its facilities, except when such calls are protected by the attorney- such as client privilege.

§31-20-5e is new; therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.

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