SB 724

This bill requires the Department of Corrections to ensure that all state correctional institutions provide, and sheriffs to ensure that all county jails and houses of correction provide, recreational opportunities and organized, structured programming that is relevant to the interests and needs of the inmates being held in the state correctional institutions, jails, and houses of correction.

The bill generally requires that when staffing levels meet or exceed 80 percent for officer staffing and structured programming staffing, each inmate is allowed at least 35 hours per week to engage in recreational opportunities and structured programming with an average of at least five total hours per day for such activities and programming, and if such staffing levels are less than 80 percent, each inmate is allowed at least 21 hours per week to engage in recreational opportunities and structured programming with an average of at least three total hours per day for such activities and programming. Of the 35 or 21 hours per week, each inmate must be allowed at least seven hours per week to engage in recreational opportunities and at least 14 hours per week to engage in structured programming, of which at least five hours must be structured programming other than work experience.

Under the bill, these recreation and structured programming requirements apply to all inmates in a state correctional institution, and apply to inmates of a county jail beginning on the 91st day of the inmate’s confinement. For inmates of a county jail, there is no requirement to allow participation in recreation and structured programming for days 1 to 30 of the inmate’s confinement, and for days 31 to 90 of the inmate’s confinement, the inmate must be allowed at least 10 hours per week to engage in recreational opportunities and structured programming. Under the bill, recreation and structured programming privileges may be denied to any inmate of a state correctional institution or county jail for a period of up to 10 consecutive days if the inmate is subject to a partial or full prison or jail lockdown or is currently being held in solitary confinement.