(a) It shall be the duty of all employees of the Department of Corrections to report all violations of the law relating to prisons, correctional facilities, and employees and inmates of the Department of Corrections that may come to their knowledge to the Investigation and Intelligence Division of the Department of Corrections. Correctional investigative services officers of the division shall investigate all reported violations and those violations otherwise discovered and, where applicable, refer the violations to the proper district attorney. All indictments for violations shall be tried in the circuit court of the county where the offense was committed.

(b) Employees of the Department of Corrections classified as "correctional investigative services officers" and their supervisors, performing criminal investigative duties, are hereby constituted law enforcement officers of the State of Alabama as defined in Section 36-21-40 with full and unlimited police powers and jurisdiction as any other state police officers in this state to investigate violations of the law relating to prisons, correctional facilities, and employees and inmates of the Department of Corrections and to enforce the law. Whenever these "correctional investigative services officers" are effecting an arrest, they shall properly display a badge .

The powers vested in correctional investigative services officers under this section shall be limited to investigations and arrests involving inmates or employees of the Department of Corrections and associates of inmates or employees of the department, including, but not limited to, family members of inmates, employees, and contractors of the department related to investigations originated by the department.

(c) All correctional investigative services officers and their supervisors given police power by this section shall be required to comply with the minimum standards now in effect relating to state law enforcement officers.