DOVER, Del. (AP) - House lawmakers have approved two bills aimed at improving security within Delaware prisons.
One measure, approved unanimously Tuesday, makes it felony for an inmate to recklessly injure a correctional officer or other prison worker or recklessly hit a prison worker with urine, feces or other bodily fluid.
Under current state law, such acts must be intentional, not simply reckless, for an inmate to be convicted of a felony carrying mandatory prison time.
A second bill, approved on a 37-to-2 vote, expands the list of felony-level contraband prohibited in prisons to include any illegal narcotic or look-alike substance, any prescription medicine, any electronic device not approved by prison officials, and any item that could be used to facilitate an escape.
Both bills now go to the Senate for consideration.
