HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 84

(By Delegates  Angelucci, C. Thompson, Lavender-Bowe, S. Brown, Longstreth, Staggers, Caputo, Pyles, Walker, Hanna, Zukoff and Diserio )

[Introduced February 13, 2020]

Requesting the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation to conduct annual studies on the reporting of sexual assaults in the state’s correctional facilities.

Whereas, In  2012, the U.S. Justice Department issued its first set of national standards requiring that detention facilities not only give inmates multiple ways to report sexual abuse but also investigate every allegation; and

Whereas, In 2011, before the national standards were issued, there were 8,768 allegations of sexual assault and harassment nationwide. By the end of 2015, that total had jumped to 24,661, a leap of more than 180 percent, according to the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics, which compiles the numbers it collects from corrections departments; and

Whereas, It is prudent for our own Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation to conduct a study on the reporting of sexual assaults in the state’s correctional facilities; therefore, be it

Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation conduct annual studies on the reporting of sexual assaults in the state’s correctional facilities; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation submit its first annual study on the reporting of sexual assaults in the state’s correctional facilities to the regular session of the Legislature, 2021, and annually thereafter, on its findings, conclusions, and recommendations, together with drafts of any legislation necessary to effectuate its recommendations.