CT HB05477

Requires mandatory adoption of National Prison Rape Elimination Commission standards for preventing, detecting, and responding to sexual abuse in all state and local detention facilities, removing the previous "within available appropriations" limitation, effective October 1, 2026

Mandates 30-day completion deadline for all sexual abuse investigations in correctional institutions, with quarterly reporting to legislature on any delayed cases; establishes confidential crisis hotline by January 1, 2027 operated by external provider for reporting sexual violence

Increases minimum mandatory sentence for second-degree sexual assault from 9 months to 2 years when victim is in custody and perpetrator is employed by or contracted with the institution or state agency

Requires minimum 10 hours annual mental health training for custodial staff (increased from 4-8 hours), including trauma-informed practices; mandates 4-8 hours of gender-specific training at facilities housing female inmates

Creates duty for DOC employees to intervene and report witnessed sexual abuse by other employees, with criminal liability for failure to act and whistleblower protections for those who report; requires Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy to conduct staffing assessment study by January 1, 2027