As I mentioned last month, we are likely to see a number of bills this session of the General Assembly trying to address the obvious problems in our corrections system, most notably at the Vaughn Correctional Center in Smyrna. HB122 would create a new crime of committing assaults in a detention facility with a reckless state of mind. HB123 would expand the list of felony-level contraband to include narcotics, prescription drugs, and items used to facilitate escape.
HB122 – AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO ASSAULTS IN A DETENTION FACILITY.
SPONSORS: Smyk, Hocker, Lawson, Bennett, Carson, Wilson, Pettyjohn, Simpson, Briggs King, Collins, Hensley, Kenton, Miro, Outten, Smith, Spiegelman
YES VOTES: HOUSE: B. Short, Baumbach, Bennett, Bentz, Brady, Briggs King, Carson, Collins, D.Short, Dukes, Gray, Heffernan, Hensley, Hudson, J.Johnson, Jaques, K.Williams, Keeley, Kenton, Kowalko, Longhurst, Lynn, M. Smith, Matthews, Miro, Mitchell, Mulrooney, Osienski, Outten, Paradee, Postles, Potter, Q. Johnson, Ramone, Schwartzkopf, Smyk, Spiegelman, Viola, Wilson, Yearick. SENATE: Bushweller, Cloutier, Delcollo, Ennis, Hansen, Henry, Hocker, Lavelle, Lawson, Lopez, Marshall, McBride, McDowell, Pettyjohn, Poore, Simpson, Sokola, Townsend, Walsh
NO VOTES: HOUSE: None (Bolden was asbent). SENATE: None (Bonini and Richardson were absent).
HISTORY: Passed the House 40-0-1. Passed the Senate 19-0-2.
STATUS: Sent to the Governor for his signature.
HB123 would expand the list of felony-level contraband to include narcotics, prescription drugs, and items used to facilitate escape.
HB123 – AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO CONTRABAND IN DETENTION FACILITY.
SPONSORS: Smyk, Ennis, Lopez, Pettyjohn, Briggs King, Collins, Dukes, Hudson, Kenton, Miro, Outten, D.Short, Smith
YES VOTES: HOUSE: B. Short, Baumbach, Bennett, Bentz, Brady, Briggs King, Carson, Collins, D.Short, Dukes, Gray, Heffernan, Hensley, Hudson, J.Johnson, Jaques, K.Williams, Keeley, Kenton, Longhurst, M. Smith, Miro, Mitchell, Mulrooney, Osienski, Outten, Paradee, Postles, Potter, Q. Johnson, Ramone, Schwartzkopf, Smyk, Spiegelman, Viola, Wilson, Yearick. SENATE: Bushweller, Cloutier, Delcollo, Ennis, Hansen, Henry, Hocker, Lavelle, Lawson, Lopez, Marshall, McBride, McDowell, Pettyjohn, Poore, Simpson, Sokola, Townsend, Walsh
NO VOTES: HOUSE: Lynn, Matthews (Bolden was absent and Kowalko did not vote). SENATE: None (Bonini and Richardson were absent).
HISTORY: Passed the House 37-2-1-1. Passed the Senate 19-0-2.
STATUS: Sent to the Governor for his signature.
Its not just the Vaughn Prison that is a gulag of epic proportions. All three of them have brutal guards who beat the hell out of prisoners DAILY, and BRING in the drugs and contraband. Mentally ill are kept in isolation cells. There are NO real programs going on inside these gulags. No real drug treatment or counseling, (inmates hold group therapy sessions without professionals). Education is a joke. Connections and other providers should be fired for their negligence. Advocates have told the truth to Carney et al…they are ignoring the facts, because they don’t know how to fix it…What happened in Vaughn will happen again…just wait.
HB122 would create a new crime of committing assaults in a detention facility with a reckless state of mind. HB123 would expand the list of felony-level contraband to include narcotics, prescription drugs, and items used to facilitate escape.
Does this INCLUDE the guards who assault prisons often for no valid reason. Look at the sponsors should tell you how wrong headed this bill is.
It’s interesting to see what “democrats” are supporting this kind of nonsense. Glad to hear that smith isn’t running for re-election.
Time to think about prison abolition in Delaware.
Having jumped on the mass incarceration band wagon a few decades ago the politicians no longer want to pay for the monster they have created, rather than fix what is wrong they now apply bandaids and go with the “Look! We’re doing something!” game instead of fixing the problem.