# South Carolina

South Carolina’s Law Enforcement Training Council (LETC) certifies local detention officers, Department of Corrections officers, and Department of Juvenile Justice officers in their own certificate classes, through the Criminal Justice Academy that certifies police. The Department of Corrections inspects every jail and prison. Since 2023, statewide agency standards on force and the duty to intervene have taken effect, repeat cellphone possession by inmates became a felony, fingerprint checks for certification were formalized, and corrections officers may keep their home address and cell number off public government websites.

Source: https://uscli.org/corrections-tracker/south-carolina

## At a glance

- **Certifying body:** South Carolina Law Enforcement Training Council, with the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy; covered on the [South Carolina Officer Ledger page](https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/south-carolina). Corrections staff are certified in their own classes: Class 2-LCO (local detention officers), Class 2-SCO (Department of Corrections officers), Class 2-JCO (Department of Juvenile Justice officers), Class 1-LECO for officers who do both law enforcement and jail duty, and Class III SLECO for special (limited-arrest) officers who also do jail duty in a sheriff-run detention center ([S.C. Code 23-23-60](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t23c023.php); S.C. Code Regs. 37-005). Department of Corrections officers “may be trained by the academy” (23-23-20). The Council includes the Directors of Corrections and of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services and a county detention director (23-23-30).
- **Statute:** S.C. Code Title 23, Chapter 23 (Training Council and Criminal Justice Academy: certification, standards, misconduct); Title 24, Chapter 9 (Jail and Prison Inspection Division); Title 24, Chapter 13 (prisoners, including 24-13-35 on restraint of pregnant inmates); Title 24, Chapter 21 (Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services). Rules: [S.C. Code Regs. ch. 37](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/coderegs/Chapter%2037.pdf).
- **Minimum standards:** Candidates must meet the 23-23-60(B) requirements, including a fingerprint record from the FBI and SLED showing no felony convictions, a favorable local credit check, and a signed attestation committing to ethical policing, including the duty to safeguard life and the duty to intervene. The minimum age is 21, except that detention and correctional officer candidates, other than Department of Juvenile Justice officers, must be at least 18. Candidates for state or local correctional officer may hold a valid driver’s license issued by any U.S. jurisdiction. Since 2025 the statute formally requires SLED and FBI fingerprint-supported records checks, with retained prints used to notify the Academy of later charges (23-23-60(E)); the no-felony fingerprint record was already required by (B)(5)(d).
- **Basic training:** Class 2-LCO and Class 2-SCO candidates must complete a training program approved by the Council (S.C. Code Regs. 37-005(B)). No basic course hour figure appears in the statute or regulation.
- **In-service training:** Class 2-LCO: a standard course of in-service hours each year set by the Jail Standards Committee and approved by the Academy. Class 2-SCO and 2-JCO: an Academy-approved agency in-service program every 3 years, with at least one legal update course each year. Class 1-LECO: the jail in-service standard plus annual legal update and domestic violence courses (S.C. Code Regs. ch. 37, recertification requirements). Class 2-LCO officers must also complete continuing education hours in mental health or addictive disorders in each 3-year period (23-23-55). For the 2026 autism requirement, see the entry below.
- **Decertification:** Same misconduct process as for other certified officers ([Officer Ledger](https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/south-carolina)). Misconduct includes repeated excessive force against the public or prisoners, physical or psychological abuse of the public or prisoners, and wilful failure to intervene in or report another officer’s abuse, as well as felony and moral turpitude convictions, unlawful drug use, and false statements or records (23-23-150(A)(3)). After a contested case hearing, the Council may deny or revoke certification permanently or for a set period, certify with probation or conditions, or issue a public reprimand (S.C. Code Regs. 37-024 to 37-027, 37-101 to 37-108). No statute requiring a public decertification list was found.
- **Jail standards:** Department of Corrections, Jail and Prison Inspection Division. With the State Fire Marshal, it must inspect at least once a year every facility housing prisoners or pretrial detainees run by or for a state agency, county, or municipality, covering all phases of operation, fire safety, and health and sanitation; the Department of Agriculture inspects food service. Local jails are judged against minimum standards set by the South Carolina Association of Counties and adopted by the Department. If corrective action is not started within 90 days, the Director may order the facility or part of it closed ([S.C. Code 24-9-10, 24-9-20, 24-9-30](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t24c009.php)). Deaths in custody must be reported to the coroner immediately and to the Division within 72 hours (24-9-35).
- **Probation and parole officers:** Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services agents must pass psychological and qualifying examinations set by the Director, and the Director must ensure each agent receives adequate training; no one may take the agent’s oath or exercise an agent’s authority until the initial employment requirements are met ([S.C. Code 24-21-230(A)](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t24c021.php)). Agents must use evidence-based practices and may issue arrest warrants or citations for violations (24-21-280).
- **Restrictive housing:** No general statutory limit on solitary confinement or restrictive housing was found in Title 24, Chapters 1, 3, 9, 13, and 21, or in the 2023 to 2026 act lists. One limit applies to pregnant and postpartum inmates: prisons, local detention facilities, and prison or work camps “must not place a known pregnant inmate, or any female inmate who has given birth within the previous thirty days, in restrictive housing” unless there is a reasonable belief she will harm herself, the fetus, or another person or is a substantial flight risk. The limit does not apply if she asks for protective custody (S.C. Code 24-13-35(J)).
- **Corrections use of force:** Pregnant inmates in state prisons, local detention facilities, and work camps may not be restrained with leg, waist, or ankle restraints; wrist restraints only in front during escort or transport. No restraints at all, including wrist restraints, during labor, delivery, postpartum recuperation, outside hospital stays for labor and delivery, induction, transport to a cesarean section, or initial bonding with the newborn, unless there are reasonable grounds to believe she is an immediate, serious threat or an immediate, credible escape risk. If restraints are used during labor, officers must notify the facility director immediately and complete an incident report ([S.C. Code 24-13-35](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t24c013.php)). Agencies that employ certified officers must have Council-standard policies limiting force to what is objectively reasonable, banning chokeholds and carotid restraints as less-lethal options, and requiring a duty to intervene (23-23-85).

## Changes, 2023 to 2026

- May 15, 2026 — **Continuing education in autism spectrum disorder for certified officers** — 2026 Act No. 134 (H.3285), adding S.C. Code 23-23-57 · Approved May 15, 2026; effective on approval (sec. 3) — “A law enforcement officer certified in this State is required to complete Continuing Law Enforcement Education Credits (CLEEC) in autism spectrum disorder,” in annual hours set by the Council. The act also requires autism courses in emergency medical technician training. The act does not say whether Class 2 detention and corrections certificates count as law enforcement officer certification; 23-23-55, by contrast, names Class 2-LCO officers expressly. The [Officer Ledger entry](https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/south-carolina#act-134-2026) covers the act. — **For corrections staff:** Ask the Academy whether the autism hours apply to your certificate class. — [H.3285 (2026 Act No. 134)](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/bills/3285.htm)
- Jan 1, 2026 — **Corrections officers may keep their home address and cell number off public government websites** — 2023 Act No. 56 (S.252), adding S.C. Code 30-2-500 and following; delayed by 2024 Act No. 220 (H.3865); rewritten by 2025 Act No. 4 (S.126) · Effective January 1, 2026, per Act 4 (the Legislature’s list of acts gives January 26, 2026; this page follows the act text) — The law defines “law enforcement officer” as “an active or former federal, state, or local certified law enforcement officer or corrections officer.” Act 56 was to take effect July 1, 2024; Act 220 delayed it to July 1, 2025, and Act 4 delayed it again to January 1, 2026 and rewrote it before it took effect. As enacted, a covered officer may ask that the officer’s home address, personal cell number, and tax map number be restricted from display on publicly available government websites, using a form created by the Criminal Justice Academy and Court Administration with a notarized employment affidavit. The [Officer Ledger entry](https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/south-carolina#privacy-act-2026) gives the exceptions and remedies. — **For corrections staff:** To keep your home address and cell number off public government websites, file the form with a notarized employment affidavit. — [S.126 (2025 Act No. 4)](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/bills/126.htm)[H.3865 (2024 Act No. 220)](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess125_2023-2024/bills/3865.htm)[S.252 (2023 Act No. 56)](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess125_2023-2024/bills/252.htm)
- May 22, 2025 — **Fingerprint-based SLED and FBI records checks formalized; retained prints flag later arrests** — 2025 Act No. 66 (H.3752), sec. 5, adding S.C. Code 23-23-60(E) · Effective May 22, 2025, per the Legislature’s 2025 list of acts — “An individual seeking certification pursuant to this section shall undergo a state criminal records check, supported by fingerprints, by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and a national criminal records check, supported by fingerprints, by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).” A no-felony FBI and SLED fingerprint record was already required under 23-23-60(B)(5)(d). What is new: SLED may keep the prints to notify the Academy of later criminal charges, SLED and the FBI may keep them for the FBI’s Next Generation Identification program and latent searches, and results may not be further disseminated. The change was carried in the Social Work Interstate Compact Act. — **For corrections staff:** Your certification fingerprints may stay on file, so a later arrest can be reported to the Academy. — [S.C. Code 23-23-60](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t23c023.php)[2025 list of acts](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/listofacts.php?Y=2025)
- Jul 1, 2024 — **Jail and prison food service inspections move to the Department of Agriculture** — 2023 Act No. 60 (S.399), sec. 10, amending S.C. Code 24-9-20 · Effective July 1, 2024, per the Code history — In the annual inspection of every jail, prison, and other facility housing prisoners or pretrial detainees, food service operations “must be inspected at least annually by an employee of the Department of Agriculture,” which also files a written report. The act substituted “Department of Agriculture” for “Department of Health and Environmental Control” in the section. The Jail and Prison Inspection Division and the State Fire Marshal still inspect all other phases of operation. — **For corrections staff:** Food service inspections in your facility come from the Department of Agriculture. — [S.C. Code 24-9-20](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t24c009.php)
- May 13, 2024 — **Captain Robert Johnson Act: felony penalties for repeat inmate cellphone possession** — 2024 Act No. 137 (H.4002), adding S.C. Code 24-3-980 · Effective May 13, 2024, per the Legislature’s 2024 list of acts and the Code history — “It is unlawful for an inmate under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections to possess a telecommunication device unless authorized to do so by the director.” Covered devices include phones, pagers, radios, personal digital assistants, laptops, their components, and similar new technology. A first offense is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 1 year; a second or later offense is a felony punishable by up to 5 years. If use of the device was the proximate cause of a later felony, the possession is a felony punishable by up to 10 years. — **For corrections staff:** Seized phones and components can support escalating criminal charges, so preserve the evidence and its chain of custody. — [S.C. Code 24-3-980](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t24c003.php)[2024 list of acts](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/listofacts.php?Y=2024)
- Jan 1, 2023 — **Statewide agency standards on force, intervention, and complaints, with Compliance Division inspections** — 2022 Act No. 218 (H.3050), secs. 4 and 5, adding S.C. Code 23-23-85 and 23-23-160 · Approved May 23, 2022; secs. 4 and 5 effective January 1, 2023 — The Council must set required minimum standards for all law enforcement agencies, including use-of-force policies limited to objectively reasonable force; “the policy must prohibit the use of chokeholds and carotid restraints as less lethal force options.” The standards also cover the duty to intervene, hiring and termination, field training, body-worn cameras, public complaints, and early warning systems. A Compliance Division inspects each agency’s policies at least every 3 years. The [Officer Ledger entries](https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/south-carolina#act-218-s4) cover both sections. Sheriff’s offices are law enforcement agencies, so the standards reach the jails they run; the statute does not say whether the Department of Corrections is a covered law enforcement agency. — **For corrections staff:** In sheriff-run jails, your agency’s force, intervention, and complaint policies must meet the Council’s statewide minimums. — [H.3050 (2022 Act No. 218)](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess124_2021-2022/bills/3050.htm)[S.C. Code 23-23-85, 23-23-160](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t23c023.php)

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

No enacted corrections change was found awaiting its effective date. Bills on officer certification that died in the 126th General Assembly are listed on the [Officer Ledger page](https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/south-carolina); a separate search for failed corrections bills was not made.

The online S.C. Code appears current through 2025 acts, so 2026 acts were checked from the 2026 list of acts and bill texts. Act titles in the list are short, so corrections provisions inside broader 2026 acts could be missed.

## Checked and unchanged

- S.C. Code 24-13-35 (restraint of pregnant inmates): last amended by 2020 Act No. 136, before this period.
- Not verified: basic course hours for Class 2-LCO and Class 2-SCO, and the Jail Standards Committee’s annual in-service hours, which are set by Council-approved programs and were not found in statute or regulation.
- Not counted: Training Council rule amendments to S.C. Code Regs. ch. 37 on misconduct and adjudication, which apply to Class 2 corrections certificates. These were R. 37-025, 37-026, 37-105, and 37-107, and new 37-073 and 37-074 for telecommunications operators (State Register Vol. 47, Issue 5, eff. May 26, 2023), and R. 37-024 (investigations, including materially false information to the Academy, and suspension pending investigation) and 37-108 (sanctions and consent to sanctions) (Vol. 49, Issue 5, eff. May 23, 2025). The prior rule text was not compared, so the changes are not entered.