AN ACT relating to tampering with a prisoner monitoring device.
Summary
HB400 amends Kentucky law on tampering with a prisoner monitoring device. The bill expands the offense to cover intentional alteration, disabling, deactivation, tampering with, removal, damage, or destruction of devices used for electronic monitoring or supervision of a person on probation or parole, as well as devices required as a condition of pretrial release. It also continues to cover video recording or video monitoring devices inside a correctional facility.
Under the bill, tampering with a prisoner monitoring device remains a Class D felony. The measure is aimed at protecting the integrity of court-ordered monitoring and correctional surveillance systems, and it would make clear that interference with these devices is a serious criminal offense under Kentucky law.
Impact
HB400 would amend KRS 519.070 to broaden and clarify the conduct prohibited under Kentucky’s tampering statute for prisoner monitoring devices. It affects people on probation or parole, defendants on pretrial release with electronic monitoring conditions, and individuals inside correctional facilities by increasing legal protection for monitoring equipment and video surveillance systems. The bill does not create a new offense category, but it reinforces existing felony penalties for interference with these devices.
Sentiment
The available record shows no committee transcript, vote tally, or recorded debate, so there is no direct evidence of support or opposition in the provided materials. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears straightforward and enforcement-oriented, with an emphasis on preserving public safety and the reliability of monitoring technology.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided context. Potential areas of debate, if raised, would likely involve whether the felony penalty is proportionate, how broadly the statute reaches conduct involving monitoring equipment, and whether the bill could affect defendants or supervised individuals who interfere with devices for reasons short of escape or evasion. However, no actual objections or proponents are identified in the available materials.