Pennsylvania

At a glance

Certifying body

No state certification board for corrections officers. DOC trains its own corrections officer trainees. County prison staff must receive basic training from a DOC-approved program within 12 months (37 Pa. Code 95.221(2)). County adult probation and parole officers attend the Basic Training Academy run by the Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) through its County Adult Probation and Parole Advisory Committee, created in 2019 (PCCD training page). County probation officers who carry firearms are trained under the County Probation Officers’ Firearm Education and Training Commission, a role filled by PCCD’s County Adult Probation and Parole Advisory Committee, which sets an initial firearm curriculum of at least 40 hours and may revoke an officer’s certification for failing training requirements (61 Pa.C.S. 6303, 6305; 37 Pa. Code ch. 79). The Municipal Police Officers’ Education and Training Commission does not cover corrections officers (see the Pennsylvania Officer Ledger page).

Statute

Prisons and Parole Code, 61 Pa.C.S. (parole supervision by DOC under 61 Pa.C.S. 6171, and probation services by DOC under 6172, in Subchapter F, added by Act 59 of 2021; peace officer status of parole agents, 6181; county probation officer firearm training, chapter 63; pregnant incarcerated people, chapter 59); Judicial Code, 42 Pa.C.S., probation provisions (amended by Act 44 of 2023). County prison standards are regulations under section 506 of The Administrative Code of 1929 (37 Pa. Code ch. 95). 61 Pa.C.S. chapters 59, 61, and 63 were read on palegis.us on October 21, 2026. Other statute text, including 42 Pa.C.S., was not read; those citations are taken from Pennsylvania Bulletin rulemakings.

Minimum standards

No statutory or regulatory minimum hiring standard for state or county corrections officers was found in the official sources that could be read. County prison personnel policy manuals must cover job specifications and qualifications (37 Pa. Code 95.221(6)(iii)).

Basic training

County prisons: before any assignment, training on chapter 95, use of force, the code of conduct, and the ban on trading favors; full-time staff must complete DOC-approved basic training within 12 months; part-time staff without basic training must work under close supervision (37 Pa. Code 95.221(1) to (3)). Staff must be trained on authorized force equipment before assignment to a post that may use it (95.241(2)(ii)(H)). County probation and parole officers: a two-week PCCD Basic Training Academy, the first week live virtual and the second in person near State College. The length of the DOC academy for state trainees was not confirmed from an official source.

In-service training

County prisons must prepare an annual training plan setting subjects and hours for pre-assignment, basic, and staff development training, reviewed each year (37 Pa. Code 95.221(5)). No statewide in-service hour minimum for corrections officers was found. County probation officers authorized to carry firearms must meet range requalification and in-service requirements (37 Pa. Code 79.21, 79.22).

Decertification

None. With no state certification for corrections officers, there is no decertification process or public database for them, and discipline is by the employing agency. The one state certification that does apply is firearms certification for county probation and parole officers. The Firearm Education and Training Commission may revoke it, for example when an officer fails an in-service requirement (37 Pa. Code 79.23(b), 79.31 to 79.33).

Jail standards

DOC’s Office of County Inspections and Services inspects every county correctional institution against 37 Pa. Code ch. 95 at intervals of 12 to 24 months (DOC describes this as “a minimum of every 12 months and a maximum of every 24 months”), and gives technical assistance. DOC does not operate county prisons (Office of County Inspections and Services).

Probation and parole officers

State parole agents have been DOC employees since Act 59 of 2021 moved parole supervision from the Parole Board to DOC; the Board keeps parole grant and revocation decisions. Parole agents may carry firearms only after a DOC-approved and DOC-sponsored firearms course (37 Pa. Code ch. 99, a DOC chapter since August 1, 2026). County adult probation and parole officers are county or court employees; DOC does not supervise county offices, except in Mercer and Venango counties. PCCD provides their basic and continuing training (DOC county probation and parole page).

Restrictive housing

Since June 11, 2024 (computed: Act 47 of 2023, effective 180 days after December 14, 2023), no correctional institution in Pennsylvania may involuntarily place a pregnant or postpartum incarcerated person in restrictive housing, except as a temporary response to behavior posing a serious and immediate risk of physical harm, approved by the chief administrator and documented; no placement may exceed 7 days without further approval (61 Pa.C.S. 5905.1). No general statutory limit on restrictive housing was found in chapter 59; other parts of Title 61 were not read. In county prisons, inmates in disciplinary status or segregation must get 1 hour of outdoor activity 5 days a week (37 Pa. Code 95.238(4)). State prisons use DOC policies DC-ADM 802 (administrative custody) and 07.05.01 (specialized housing), which are policy, not law.

Corrections use of force

County prisons must have a written policy limiting force to justifiable self-defense, protection of others or property, preventing escapes, and enforcing rules when other methods fail, and only the least force necessary. The policy must list authorized equipment (restraints, chemical agents, stun devices, batons, firearms), a force continuum, authorization rules, medical review, and pre-assignment training. Every staff member involved in force beyond routine movement must file a written report, which is also reported to DOC (37 Pa. Code 95.241(2)). State prisons follow DOC policy DC-ADM 201 (Use of Force) (DOC policies). By statute, a correctional institution may not restrain a person known to be pregnant during labor or postpartum unless staff make an individualized finding of a substantial risk of imminent flight or another extraordinary medical or security circumstance; the use must be reported, the least restrictive restraint used, and leg or waist restraints are never allowed during labor (61 Pa.C.S. 5905). DOC must provide training for staff who have contact with pregnant or postpartum incarcerated people, and after December 31, 2025, correctional staff must receive DOC-approved trauma-informed care training (61 Pa.C.S. 5909).

Changes, 2023 to 2026

• Aug 1, 2026

  Parole supervision regulations move from the Parole Board to DOC

  Final-omitted rulemaking, 56 Pa.B. 4544 (Doc. No. 26-1079), deleting 37 Pa. Code chs. 65, 69, and 77 and adding chs. 98 to 101Approved by IRRC July 16, 2026; effective on publication, August 1, 2026

  The rulemaking carries out Act 59 of 2021, which “transferred the powers and duties of parole supervision from the board to the department.” The Board’s supervision rules are deleted, and DOC adopts replacement chapters: 98 (conditions governing special probation and parole), 99 (parole agents, including firearms authorization), 100 (citizens advisory committees), and 101 (confidentiality of records). The preamble describes a transfer of existing provisions, not new duties. The Board keeps its parole granting and revocation role.

  For corrections staff: State parole agents’ firearms authorization, special probation and parole conditions, and records rules are now DOC regulations.

  56 Pa.B. 4544

• Jun 11, 2024

  Limits on restraints and restrictive housing for pregnant and postpartum incarcerated people

  Act 47 of 2023 (HB 900, P.L.396), amending 61 Pa.C.S. 5905 and adding 5905.1 and 5908 to 5911Signed December 14, 2023; effective in 180 days, June 11, 2024 (computed)

  A correctional institution may not restrain a person known to be pregnant during labor or postpartum unless staff make an individualized finding of a substantial risk of imminent flight or another extraordinary medical or security circumstance. Any such restraint must be reported and be the least restrictive possible, and leg or waist restraints may never be used during labor (5905). A pregnant or postpartum person may not be involuntarily placed in restrictive housing except as a temporary response to a serious and immediate risk of physical harm, approved by the chief administrator and documented, for no more than 7 days without further approval; discipline is otherwise limited to sanctions such as telephone or visit restrictions, and a pregnant person may not be assigned a bed more than three feet off the floor (5905.1). DOC must provide a training program for staff who have contact with pregnant, laboring, or postpartum incarcerated people, covering their care and the effects of restraints, restrictive housing, and invasive searches, and after December 31, 2025, correctional staff must receive DOC-approved trauma-informed care training (5909). Act 114 of 2024 later amended 5905 and 5909, applying retroactively to June 11, 2024.

  For corrections staff: Do not restrain a pregnant person in labor or postpartum without an individualized, reported finding, never use leg or waist restraints during labor, get chief administrator approval before any restrictive housing placement, and complete the DOC pregnancy and trauma-informed care training.

  61 Pa.C.S. ch. 59 (official PDF)

• Jun 11, 2024

  Probation Reform Act: probation review and limits on jail for technical violations

  Act 44 of 2023 (SB 838, PN 1289), amending 42 Pa.C.S.Signed December 14, 2023; effective in 180 days, June 11, 2024 (computed); a Philadelphia court regulation also refers to probation imposed before June 11, 2024

  The act amends the Judicial Code on orders and conditions of probation, modification or revocation, and probation review conferences. The act text could not be read. According to the Governor’s release, a probation review conference comes after 2 years or half the probation term, whichever is sooner (4 years or half for felonies), and there is a presumption against confinement for minor technical violations unless the violation is serious, the person failed court-ordered treatment, or the person is a public safety threat. Philadelphia’s implementing court regulation calls the reviews “postsentence reviews” under section 7 of the act.

  For corrections staff: County probation officers should track review dates and document technical violations; according to the Governor’s release, minor violations are presumed not to lead to jail.

  LRB recent actions, 54 Pa.B. (Act 44) Governor’s release on SB 838 Philadelphia General Court Regulation 2024-01

Enacted, not yet in force, pending, and bills that did not pass

Checked and unchanged

Bills in the legislature

Bills in the current session whose title concerns corrections officers, jails, probation and parole, and conditions of confinement, found automatically in LegiScan's copy of the legislature's records and refreshed daily (last on October 21, 2026). This list is not reviewed by an editor and is not a summary of the bills; each links to the legislature's own page, which controls. Bills that become law are added to the dated entries above once checked.

• Introduced

  SB192: In preliminary provisions, further providing for definitions; in qualifications of electors, further providing for rules for determining residence; in voting by qualified absentee electors, further providing for quali…

  Last action January 29, 2025: Referred to State Government. 2025-2026 Regular Session.

• Introduced

  HB605: In Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, providing for earned compliance credit.

  Last action February 12, 2025: Referred to Judiciary. 2025-2026 Regular Session.

• Introduced

  SB360: Providing for solitary confinement.

  Last action February 28, 2025: Referred to Judiciary. 2025-2026 Regular Session.

• Introduced

  SB787: Providing for solitary confinement.

  Last action May 27, 2025: Referred to Judiciary. 2025-2026 Regular Session.

• Introduced

  SB788: Providing for solitary confinement.

  Last action May 27, 2025: Referred to Judiciary. 2025-2026 Regular Session.

• Passed one chamber

  HB2033: In food protection, providing for correctional institutions; imposing duties on the Department of Agriculture; and promulgating regulations.

  Last action October 13, 2026: Referred to Agriculture & Rural Affairs. 2025-2026 Regular Session.

• Passed one chamber

  HB2154: Establishing the Prison Industry Enhancement Authority; providing for employment of incarcerated individuals by private industry and for subcontracts with correctional agencies; establishing guidelines for incarcerate…

  Last action October 13, 2026: Referred to Judiciary. 2025-2026 Regular Session.

• Introduced

  SB1184: Establishing the Prison Industry Enhancement Authority; providing for employment of incarcerated individuals by private industry and for subcontracts with correctional agencies; establishing guidelines for incarcerate…

  Last action February 13, 2026: Referred to Judiciary. 2025-2026 Regular Session.

• Introduced

  HR618: Directing the Pennsylvania Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to study treatment and support for individuals with mental illnesses, behavioral health disorders, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and A…

  Last action September 28, 2026: Reported as committed. 2025-2026 Regular Session.

The law, section by section

Every section of the statutes and rules this page relies on that could be read from an official source, 139 in all, each linked to the official text. Headings are copied from the official tables of contents, checked October 21, 2026.

The page says statute text could not be read on palegis.us; on 2026-10-21 the General Assembly's chapter PDFs for 61 Pa.C.S. chapters 59, 61, and 63 were readable and are listed here. Not listed: the probation provisions of the Judicial Code (42 Pa.C.S.) amended by Act 44 of 2023, which the page cites without naming sections, and section 506 of The Administrative Code of 1929, an uncodified act.