SB227 Alabama 2020 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Greg AlbrittonSenator

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2020

Title

County jails, require courts to provide electronic notification to the Dept. of Corrections when a defendant is sentenced, provide for transportation of inmates, to provide that counties are not responsible for health care costs of inmates sentenced to the Dept. of Corrections, to establish the Inmate Housing Cooperative, to establish procedures for participation in cooperative, Secs. 14-16-1 to 14-16-10, inclusive, added; Sec. 14-3-30 am'd.

Summary

SB227 would require electronic notice to the Department of Corrections when someone is sentenced to state custody, set rules for transferring inmates, shift health-care cost responsibilities to the state, and create a statewide Inmate Housing Cooperative for temporary confinement of state inmates in county jails.

What This Bill Does

It requires courts or clerks to electronically notify the Department of Corrections through the State Judicial Information System when sentencing someone to the department. It outlines how custody is transferred from county jails to state custody and sets timelines, with health-care costs for state inmates covered by the department rather than counties. It creates the Inmate Housing Cooperative, a framework for temporary confinement of certain state inmates in county jails under a uniform agreement, with bed-space calculations, eligibility rules, payment terms, and oversight by the department.

Who It Affects

• State inmates who may be temporarily housed in county jails under the Inmate Housing Cooperative (IHC), with a 90-day limit and state-provided health care.
• Counties, county jails, sheriffs, and county commissions, who must participate in the IHC under a uniform memorandum of agreement, manage bed space, and receive payments from the state for housing inmates.
• The Department of Corrections, which must implement electronic sentence notifications, arrange transfers, pay for health care costs, and oversee the IHC program.

Key Provisions

• Courts or court clerks must electronically notify the Department of Corrections via the State Judicial Information System when a defendant is sentenced to the department, and the sentence must be entered electronically within five business days.
• The Department of Corrections will coordinate transfer of custody from county jails to the state, with transfer occurring within 15 days after electronic sentence entry unless the county participates in the Inmate Housing Cooperative or agrees to a delay.
• Counties are not responsible for health care costs of state inmates; the department is financially responsible for actual medical costs, with discounts negotiated by medical facilities.
• If a health condition requires treatment costing more than $2,000, the department must transfer the inmate within three days to a state facility; if the department fails to transfer, the county may transport the inmate for treatment, with no county liability for health care costs.
• A new Inmate Housing Cooperative is created, allowing temporary confinement of state inmates in county jails under a uniform memorandum of agreement, to be developed by August 1, 2020.
• Participation in the IHC requires a county commission resolution and sheriff consent, inspection of bed space by the department, and a uniform agreement governing terms including payment, segregation by classification, and provision of state correctional officers at no cost to the county.
• A state inmate may be housed in a county jail for up to 90 days under the IHC; the department must remove the inmate to state custody by the 90th day, and failure to transfer can trigger higher daily care costs.
• The department alone is responsible for initiating transfers and transportation, and the IHC cannot be used for inmates convicted of violent offenses, Class A felonies, or escapes.
• The department must publish the average daily cost of care for state inmates annually, pay counties at least 50% of that rate, and pay within 45 days of invoicing; health-care costs remain the department’s responsibility, and failure to pay can allow counties to transfer inmates to prison.
• If the department delays payment by more than 46 days, counties may immediately transport all IHC-inmate(s) to the appropriate state prison.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 23, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Jails