Section 36C of chapter 127 of the General Laws, as appearing in section 92 of chapter 69 of the acts of 2018, is hereby amended by inserting after the third paragraph the following paragraphs:-

Notwithstanding any general or special law or rule or regulation to the contrary, every guard, corrections officer and employee of a correctional institution, jail or house of correction shall attend a training session and receive educational information regarding: (1) the importance of ongoing visitation to individuals who are incarcerated as related to reducing recidivism, violence and increasing successful re-entry; and (2) the importance of civility and respectful conduct toward family members and other members of the public who visit individuals who are incarcerated so as to encourage visitation on a regular basis while maintaining security.

Training materials and educational information shall be developed in consultation with representatives of the Massachusetts Bar Association, the Women’s Bar Association, Prisoners Legal Services, the Criminal Justice Reform Caucus, ex-prisoners community based organizations, and community based re-entry programs. Prior to implementation, the training materials shall be submitted to the joint committee on the judiciary and the joint committee on public safety and homeland security.