Transfers to city department.

(a) Cities of the first class.--Every person sentenced by any court to a county correctional institution situate in a city of the first class shall be committed to the custody of the city department, where the city department has established a correctional, diagnostic and classification service for persons convicted of any crime.

(b) Duty of city department.--

(1) Every person committed to the custody of the city department under subsection (a) shall be confined, diagnosed and classified by the city department.

(2) Upon the completion of the diagnosis and classification, the person shall be placed in the county correctional institution of the city determined to be most appropriate for the service of sentence.

(3) In making the determination under paragraph (2), the city department shall consider the problem of rehabilitation, security, adequacy of facilities and such other factors as, in its opinion, will serve to promote the rehabilitation of inmates, consistent with the security and protection of the county.

(c) Intradepartmental transfers.--The city department may transfer between any correctional institutions under its control or supervision an inmate confined and serving in any of those institutions, whether the sentence is imposed before or after the effective date of this section, if the transfer is, in the opinion of the city department, consistent with the standards for original placement set forth in subsection (b).