Purpose.
Philadelphia Code § 21-3602
in effect§ 21-3602. Purpose.
(1) Pursuant to Sections 4-2801 and 4-2802 of the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter, this Chapter provides for the composition and powers of the Office of Prison Oversight and Philadelphia Prison Community Oversight Board, as created pursuant to Section 3-100 of the Charter.
(2) The Office is an oversight agency designed to promote and protect the safety, health and well-being of incarcerated people in Philadelphia by reviewing, auditing, investigating and making recommendations regarding the conduct, policies and practices of the Department of Prisons, its vendors, or programmatic partners. The Office shall have the powers and duties necessary to fulfill its primary purpose of addressing systemic challenges with, and improving conditions of confinement in, the county’s prisons. As a criminal justice agency under 18 Pa. C.S. § 9102, the Office’s powers and duties shall be an integral aspect of the administration of criminal justice in the City, acting in support of all criminal justice agencies thereof. As a health oversight agency as defined by 45 C.F.R. § 164.501, the Office’s powers and duties shall include overseeing compliance where health information is relevant.
(3) The Board is an advisory entity designed to serve as a liaison and voice between the community, Office of Prison Oversight and local prison system, to provide input into the operational decisions of the Office, and to increase public understanding of prison operations and accountability to the residents they serve. The Board shall have the powers and duties set forth in the Charter with the primary purpose of strengthening public trust in the City’s correctional system by providing the public, advocacy groups, and elected officials with a reliable mechanism for communication, review and accountability, and identifying areas of systemic concern that may warrant further action by the Office, as informed by regular engagement with the public and relationships with the community.
Source: City of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Code and Home Rule Charter (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/philadelphia/latest/philadelphia_pa/0-0-0-309019Fetched: 10/27/2026