An Act Establishing A Pilot Program Concerning The Use Of Body Scanning Machines In Certain Correctional Facilities And Requiring Reports Concerning Strip And Cavity Searches In Correctional Facilities.
HB 7186 creates a pilot program in the Department of Correction to use body scanning machines at two correctional facilities: York Correctional Institution and John R. Manson Youth Institution in Cheshire. The bill directs the Commissioner of Correction to purchase, install, and staff-train on at least two scanners by the end of 2025, with the goal of using the machines in place of strip searches or cavity searches when those searches would otherwise be performed under existing directives. The pilot is intended to collect data on scanner use, contraband detection, and any follow-up screening methods used after a scan.
The bill also requires multiple reports to the legislature. One report, due in February 2026, compares Connecticut’s current strip-search and cavity-search directives with those in northeastern states and federal policy. A second report, due in February 2027, evaluates the pilot program using detailed monthly data on scans, searches, contraband findings, and recommendations for future legislative changes. In addition, the bill requires annual reporting beginning in 2026 on the number of strip and cavity searches conducted, any related lawsuits, and the current search policy and training requirements.
The bill adds new reporting and oversight requirements for correctional search practices and creates a limited pilot program that may reduce the use of strip and cavity searches in favor of body scanning technology. It authorizes up to $500,000 in state general obligation bonds to fund the purchase, installation, and training associated with the scanners, and it directs the State Bond Commission and Department of Correction to implement the financing and procurement. The measure does not broadly rewrite search law, but it does create new statutory obligations for the Department of Correction and establishes a record for possible future policy changes.
The bill appears to have broad support in committee and on the floor, with unanimous favorable votes reported in both the Government Oversight and Finance committees. The absence of recorded opposition and the focus on modernization, data collection, and oversight suggest a generally positive sentiment toward the measure. The discussion record provided does not include transcript debate, so the available evidence points to consensus rather than controversy.
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials, and the recorded votes were unanimous. Potential areas of concern inherent in the bill include the cost of the scanners, the operational impact on correctional staff, privacy and security implications of body scanning, and whether the pilot will meaningfully reduce invasive searches without compromising contraband detection. However, no legislator, committee member, or stakeholder is identified in the supplied record as opposing those issues.