Plain English Breakdown
The official source states the bill takes effect immediately as an urgency statute but does not provide a specific calendar date for enactment in the provided text.
Wakiesha's Law: Notification Rules for County and City Jails
This law requires county and city jails to contact family members or designated people within 24 hours if an incarcerated person dies.
What This Bill Does
- Requires county and city jails to notify next of kin and medical contacts when a person in jail dies.
- Sets a deadline for these notifications to happen within 24 hours of the death.
Who It Names or Affects
- County and city jail operators, such as sheriffs' departments.
- Family members or people listed on next of kin forms for incarcerated individuals.
- People named in medical release of information forms for incarcerated individuals.
Terms To Know
- Next of kin
- The closest living relative who is allowed to make decisions about a person's body and belongings after they die.
- Medical release of information
- A list of people authorized by an incarcerated person to receive their medical details or be contacted in emergencies.
Limits and Unknowns
- The law only covers deaths; it does not require notification for hospitalizations like the state prison rules do.
- Reimbursement for costs will happen only if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state.