  To define rights and functions of official visitors of jails, penitentiaries, and other penal or reformatory institutions, and providing for their removal. Section I. Be it enacted, &c., That any person designated by law to be official visitor of any jail, penitentiary, or other penal or reformatory institution, in this Commonwealth, maintained at the public expense, is hereby authorized and empowered to enter and visit any such jail, penitentiary, or other penal or reformatory institution, on any and every day, including Sundays, between the hours of nine o’clock, ante meridian, and five o’clock, post meridian; and not before nine o’clock, ante meridian, or after five o’clock, post meridian, except with the special permission of the warden, manager, overseer, or superintendent in charge of any such jail, penitentiary, or other penal or reformatory institution. Section 2. Upon any such visit of any official visitor to any such jail, penitentiary, or other penal or reformatory institution, such visitor shall have the right to interview privately any prisoner or inmate confined in any such jail, penitentiary, or other penal or reformatory institution, and for that purpose to enter the cell, room, or apartment wherein any such prisoner or inmate shall be confined: Provided, however, That if any warden, manager, overseer, superintendent, or person in charge of such institution at the time of such visit, shall be of the opinion that such entry by the official visitor into the cell, room, or apartment of such prisoner or inmate would be dangerous to the discipline of the institution, then and in that case the said warden, superintendent, overseer, manager, or person in charge, may conduct any prisoner or inmate, with whom such official visitor may desire a private interview, into such other cell, room, or apartment within the institution as he may designate and there permit the private interview between the official visitor and such prisoner or inmate to take place: Provided further, however, That no official visitor shall have the right or power of privately interviewing any such prisoner or inmate except prisoners or inmates of the same sex as such official visitor. Section 3. All powers, functions, and privileges heretofore belonging to official visitors of jails, penitentiaries, and penal or reformatory institutions, under the common statute laws, are hereby confirmed: Provided, however, That no such official visitor shall have the right or power to give or deliver to any prisoner or inmate of any such jail, penitentiary, or penal or reformatory institution, during such visit, any chattel or object whatsoever, except objects and articles of religious or moral instruction or use. Section 4. If any such official visitor shall violate any of the prohibitions herein contained, any warden, manager, overseer, or superintendent of any such jail, penitentiary, penal or reformatory institution, may apply to any court of common pleas in the county wherein such institution may be situated, for a rule upon such visitor to show cause why he or she should not be deprived of his or her office; and upon proof to the satisfaction of said court being made, such court shall enter a decree against such official visitor, depriving him or her of all rights, privileges, and functions of official visitor. Approved—The 14th day of May, A. D. 1909. |
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