Rep. David Thomas votes in support of legislation to enhance protection of correctional facility employees

State Representative David Thomas (R-Jefferson) recently voted in support of House Bill 338 – also known as Andy’s Law – legislation that expands the offense of aggravated murder or assault of correctional facility employees and instills new measures to reduce inmate drug possession. 

This legislation was developed following the death of correctional officer Andrew Lansing, who was brutally murdered while on duty by an inmate at the Ross Correctional Institution on Christmas Day last year.

“It is a sad tragedy of what had happened to cause this type of policy but I am hopeful that these changes will be helpful for our men and women who protect us in our state prisons,” said Representative Thomas.

House Bill 338 works to do the following:

• Expands the offense to sentence of life in prison without parole if an inmate murders a ODRC or DYS employee;

• Creates a mandatory, 7-year consecutive sentence for inmates who commit a felonious assault against an ODRC or DYS employees;

• Creates a mandatory, 3-year sentence for the assault of throwing bodily fluids at an ODRC or DYS employee; 

• Allows supervisors and higher-ranking staff members of prisons to detain individuals who are found to be attempting to bring illegal substances into prisons or to give to inmates;

• Ensures all Level 3 and 4 prisons have drug-sniffing dogs at their institution within 2 years and all lower-level prisons have K9 units within 5 years; and

• Instills no-contact visitations at all Level 3 and 4 prisons. 

House Bill 338 now heads to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.

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