Existing law establishes within the state an institution for the punishment, treatment, supervision, custody, and care of females convicted of felonies known as the California Institution for Women.

This bill would prohibit male correctional officers in the California Institution for Women from conducting a pat down search of a female inmate unless the prisoner presents a risk of immediate harm to herself or others and there is not a female correctional officer available to conduct the search. The bill would also prohibit a male correctional officer from entering an area of the institution where female inmates may be in a state of undress unless an inmate in the area presents a risk of immediate harm to herself or others or if there is a medical emergency in the area and there is not a female correctional officer who can resolve the situation in a safe and timely manner without his assistance. The bill would require documentation of a male correctional officer conducting a pat down search or entering a prohibited area within 3 days of the incident and would require that the documentation to be reviewed by the warden and retained.