Section 8-202 - Legislative findings.

§ 8-202. Legislative findings.
 

The General Assembly finds that: 

(1) there is a need to improve the administration of the correctional system to better protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public; 

(2) the ultimate goal of the correctional system is to make the community safer by reducing the incidence of crime; 

(3) establishing a correctional system with significantly increased power to reduce recidivism and prevent recruitment into criminal careers will require a sufficient number of qualified staff to perform the many tasks to be done; 

(4) recent studies have revealed that greater training for correctional work is highly desirable; 

(5) the need for training can be substantially met by creating educational and training programs for individuals seeking careers as correctional officers; 

(6) while serving in a probationary capacity, a correctional officer should be required to receive efficient training provided at facilities that are approved by a commission that is authorized to approve training facilities; 

(7) by qualifying and becoming proficient in the field of corrections, correctional officers shall individually and collectively better insure the health, safety, and welfare of the public; and 

(8) Department of Juvenile Services employees should have specific and appropriate training for that population. 
 

[An. Code 1957, art. 41, § 4-301(a); 1999, ch. 54, § 2; 2000, ch. 483; 2003, ch. 53, § 4.]