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House accepts Armstrong
amendment on
bill limiting prisoner access to public records
Measure would help to protect correctional
officers and their families
The House of
Representatives approved a measure Wednesday that would limit the
ability of inmates in state penitentiaries to make frivolous and
excessive public records requests.
Rep. Mike
Armstrong says prisoners have been using the state's Public
Records Act to harass and intimidate persons in authority and their
families, including correctional officers, law enforcement officials and
judges.
"This issue is about
inmates being able to access personal information about the people who
are guarding them. Our intent with this legislation is to protect those
people in authority over those prisoners," said Armstrong, R-Wenatchee.
"In committee, we heard
from prison guards from Clallam Bay. They told us there's about a half
dozen inmates abusing the system. Clallam Bay had to add a full-time
staff person to meet the 350 thousand request forms. That is horrible
abuse of the system," added Armstrong. "The prisoners have figured out
it's a way to poke the system and create costs."
Armstrong offered an
amendment to
Senate Bill 5130, which would place restrictions on the type of
information a prisoner could access.
"Under our current law,
prisoners can access everything and anything about the people who are
guarding them. That includes information about the jailers' families,
their phone numbers and other personal information. It's a terrible form
of intimidation and it puts Department of Corrections people at risk.
This measure says prisoners can be denied those documents," added
Armstrong.
The House approved
Armstrong's amendment. Lawmakers then passed the bill 94-2. The measure
has been sent back to the Senate for concurrence.
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For more information, contact:
John
Sattgast, Senior Information Officer: (360) 786-7257
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