502                               Laws of Maryland                      [Ch. 213

land citizens; that the ultimate goal of the correctional system is
to make the community safer by reducing the incidence of crime;
that establishing a system with significantly increased power to
reduce recidivism and prevent recruitment into criminal careers
will require a sufficient number of qualified staff to perform the
many tasks to be done; that recent studies have revealed that greater
training preparation for correctional work would be highly desir-
able; that this need can be substantially met by the creation of
educational and training programs for persons who seek careers as
correctional, probation and parole officers; that such persons should
be required, while serving in a probationary capacity prior to
permanent appointment, to receive efficient training provided at
facilities approved by a Commission created for such purpose; that
by qualifying and becoming proficient in the field of corrections,
such persons shall individually and collectively better insure the
health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of this State.

(b) Definitions.—As used in this section:

(1)  "Approved correctional training school" shall mean a school
approved and authorized by the Correctional Training Commission
to offer training programs as prescribed in this section.

(2)  "Commission" shall mean the Correctional Training Commis-
sion or officers or employees thereof acting on its behalf.

(3) "County" shall mean any county which within its jurisdic-
tion has or shall have a correctional unit as defined in this section.

(4) "Correctional unit" shall mean any governmental organiza-
tion or activity of the State, any county, or any municipality which
has by statute, ordinance, or court order the responsibility for the
care, control and supervision of inmates in correctional institutions,
for persons declared to be parolees or for persons placed on proba-
tion or suspension of sentence. However, the term "correctional
unit" shall not include the State Department of Juvenile Services.

(5)  "Municipality" shall mean any incorporated city of any class
which, within its jurisdiction, has or shall have a correctional unit
as defined in this section.

(6)  "Permanent appointment" shall mean an appointment having
permanent status as a correctional, parole, or probation officer in a
correctional unit as defined in this section.

(7)  "Correctional officer" shall mean a member of a correctional
unit, as defined in this section, who is charged with and actually
performs those duties that relate to the investigation, care, custody,
control or supervision of: persons confined to places of incarceration
or detention, or persons under parole supervision, or persons placed
on probation.

The term "Correctional officer" shall not include any person serv-
ing as such solely by virtue of his occupying any other office or
position, nor shall such term include the head or deputy head of
any correctional unit, any sheriff, warden, superintendent or any
person having any equivalent title who is appointed or employed by
a government to exercise equivalent supervisory authority.

(c) There is hereby established in the Department of Public
Safety and Correctional Services of the State of Maryland, a Cor-