Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Corrections Body Scanners topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Department of Correction Seeks $8.1M for 53 Body Scanners to Reduce Strip Searches
Summary
DOC told the Appropriations subcommittee it requested $8.1 million to buy 53 body scanners that it says would sharply reduce strip searches across facilities; testimony addressed radiation safety, exceptions for pregnant visitors and staff monitoring, and whether scanners replace existing strip‑search policy (they do not).
The Department of Correction told the Appropriations subcommittee it has submitted a request to the governor—s budget to buy 53 body scanners at an estimated total cost of $8.1 million.
DOC witnesses said the original Public Act 23-18 purchase would cover visiting rooms and intake units; the department has since proposed additional scanners for lobbies and restrictive‑housing units. DOC estimated the scanners could eliminate roughly 355,000 strip searches annually, and provided a facility‑level breakdown that included visits, transfers, outside worker clearances and court trips.
Committee members asked about safety. DOC staff said the vendors monitor cumulative exposure and that staff and frequent users are tracked; pregnant people are recommended not to be scanned and would continue to be processed through existing search procedures. DOC officials said the scanners are similar to airport spot scanners and will detect concealed items the department previously missed in some manual searches.
Senators and representatives on the panel asked whether the scanners would change the policy on strip searches; DOC said the policy itself had not changed but that the scanners are intended to reduce the frequency of intrusive searches of visitors and incarcerated people.
Why it matters: The proposal would be a capital‑style outlay that DOC said would reduce invasive searches and lower physical contact; lawmakers raised questions about funding source (bonding versus operating budget) and about implementation details for sensitive populations.
