(a) The Department shall authorize, under reasonable conditions, visits to, and correspondence with, inmates by relatives, friends and others and temporary release of inmates for such occasions as the death of a member of the inmate’s family, or interview of the inmate by a prospective employer.

(b) With the exception of the authority granted under § 4205(h) and (l) of this title, the Department shall have no authority to place any person convicted of a class A felony, during the first 10 years of said sentence, or of any class A or B felony sex offense or C felony sex offense, during the first 10 years of said sentence, or any person sentenced pursuant to § 4204(k) of this title on any program or status beyond the confines of a secured institution to which the person must be classified. In the event of the death or serious illness of an immediate family member, or a similar emergency, the Commissioner of Correction shall have the authority to permit such person an escorted visit within the State under strict security. In the event that there exists extraordinary circumstances, excluding emergency situations authorized by the Commissioner pursuant to the previous sentence of this subsection, and the Commissioner of Correction agrees, the Commissioner may petition the Superior Court, after notice to the Attorney General, for permission to exempt an individual from the limitations contained in this section.

11 Del C. 1953,, § ?6537; 54 Del. Laws, c. 349, § ?1; 65 Del. Laws, c. 245, § ?1; 67 Del. Laws, c. 350, § ?32; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § ?1;