SB 55 — Establishing criminal offense for obstructing or hindering home incarceration supervisor or social services worker

WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION IntroducedCommittee Substitute for Senate Bill 55 ByBY SenatorSENATORUCKER Rucker[Reported [Introduced January 14,22, 2026;2026, from the Committee on Judiciary] CS for SB 55 A BILL to amend and reenact §61-5-17a of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to establishing a felony criminal offense for knowingly, willfully, and forcibly obstructing or hindering a home incarceration supervisor or a social services worker while the home incarceration supervisor or social services worker is lawfully acting in their official capacity and the obstructing or hindering causes the death of the home incarceration supervisor or a social services worker;

referred to the Committee on the Judiciary] Intr SB 55 2026R1379 A BILL to amend and reenact §61-5-17a of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to establishing afelony criminal offensepenalty fortherefor knowingly,of willfully,imprisonment andin forcibly obstructing or hindering a homestate incarcerationcorrectional supervisorfacility orfor a20 socialyears serviceto workerlife; while they are lawfully acting in their official capacity and the obstructing or hindering causes their death;

establishingspecifying criminalminimum penaltyterm therefor of imprisonment20 inyears’ aimprisonment state correctional facility for 15parole yearseligibility; to life;

Obstructing a law-enforcement officer, probation officer, parole officer, courthouse security officer, correctional officer, the State Fire Marshal, a deputy or assistant fire marshal, firefighter, or emergency medical service personnelpersonnel, home incarceration supervisor, or social services worker causing death;

(a) Notwithstanding any provision of this code to the contrary, any person who knowingly, willfully, and forcibly obstructs or hinders a law-enforcement officer, probation officer, parole officer, courthouse security officer, correctional officer, the State Fire Marshal, a deputy or assistant fire marshal, firefighter, or emergency medical service personnel, home incarceration supervisor, or social serviceservices worker lawfully acting in his or her official capacity and thereby proximately causes the death of a law-enforcement officer, probation officer, parole officer, courthouse security officer, correctional officer, the State Fire Marshal, a deputy or assistant fire marshal, firefighter, or emergency medical service personnel, home incarceration supervisor, or social serviceservices worker so acting, is guilty of a felony,felony andand, upon conviction thereof, shall be imprisoned in a state correctional facility for a term of 15 20 years to life.

(b)A Forperson purposesimprisoned pursuant to the provisions of this section:section is not eligible for parole prior to having served a minimum of 20 years of his or her sentence.

CS for SB 55 (b) For purposes of this section:

and Intr SB 55 2026R1379 (3) "Social services worker" means a person employed by a governmental or private entity to provide social services such as investigating allegations of child or adult abuse or neglect, working with delinquent youth, andor providing mental health and educational assistance through field work and home visits.

NOTE:

The purpose of this bill is to establish a criminal offense for knowingly, willfully, and forcibly obstructing or hindering home incarceration supervisors and social service workers while they are lawfully acting in their official capacity and the obstructing or hindering causes their death;

establishing criminal penalty therefor of imprisonment in a state correctional facility for 15 years to life.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.