South Carolina General Assembly
105th Session, 1983-1984

Bill 3539

                    Current Status

Bill Number:               3539
Ratification Number:       498
Act Number:                426
Introducing Body:          House
Subject:                   Relating to treatment, rights,
                           privileges, and expenses of mentally ill and
                           mentally retarded patients or prisoners
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(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

(A426, R498, H3539)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 44-23-1080, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO TREATMENT, RIGHTS, PRIVILEGES, AND EXPENSES OF MENTALLY ILL AND MENTALLY RETARDED PATIENTS OR PRISONERS, SO AS TO MAKE IT UNLAWFUL FOR ANY UNAUTHORIZED PERSON TO POSSESS, ON THE GROUNDS OF ANY FACILITY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH, ANY MATTER DECLARED BY THE DEPARTMENT TO BE CONTRABAND AND TO PROVIDE FOR THOSE MATTERS DETERMINED TO BE CONTRABAND TO BE PUBLISHED IN A CONSPICUOUS PLACE AVAILABLE TO PATIENTS AND EMPLOYEES.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Unlawful to furnish contraband to patients

SECTION 1. Section 44-23-1080 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 44-23-1080. It is unlawful for any person to furnish any patient or prisoner under the jurisdiction of the South Carolina Department of Mental Health, at any of its facilities, with any matter declared by the department to be contraband. It is also unlawful for any unauthorized person to possess, on the grounds of any facility of the department, any matter declared by the department to be contraband. Matters considered contraband within the meaning of this section are those matters determined to be contraband by the department and published in a conspicuous place available to visitors and in a conspicuous place available to patients and employees at each institution. A violation of the provisions of this section constitutes a felony, and anyone convicted of a violation must be punished by a fine of not less than one thousand dollars nor more than ten thousand dollars or imprisonment for not less than one year nor more than ten years, or both."

Time effective

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon approval by the Governor.