Good Afternoon,

 

When I attend meetings with Directors of other correctional agencies, I am fascinated to hear about other systems. Our problems are most often universal to corrections: turnover, recruiting and retention; cell phones and contraband; health care/ mental health care; the problem of younger, more violent offenders, etc. And, we lead the nation in effective responses to many of these common problems.

 

However, approaches to these problems vary widely, since one of the biggest variables across the nation is funding. Most all states have more flexibility in spending money to address these issues. For the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2006, we spent $13,172 per inmate in state appropriated dollars and $ $15,156 in total dollars (including grant funds, PI funds, bond funds, canteen, etc).

 

Recently, an SCDC employee relayed a story about a town meeting with her state senator. The senator commented about how much more money the legislature had provided for Corrections. The employee was confused, because according to the senator, this agency should have plenty of money and she should be getting big raise. As I have repeatedly stated in speeches, e-mails, and newsletters, we have made slow but steady budgetary progress in the past three years. I am grateful, and I have repeatedly expressed my gratitude to legislative leaders for their help.

 

However, during the shortfall years, we were cut more severely than most agencies and since the economy has turned around, those ‘legislative favorite’ agencies that were not cut have received larger percentage increases than we have received. For example, we are last nationally in per inmate expenditures, but we have risen to the top 20 in per student expenditures on education.

 

Here is a little more perspective:

 

The Corrections Yearbook has not been published since 2002, so national comparison is difficult. However, there are only five or six states that compete with us in term of efficiency, and those are all included in the Southern Legislative Committee of the Council on State Government. That non-partisan organization does rank 16 states in correctional spending. At the conclusion of FY 2004-05, we once again ranked last in appropriated spending per inmate. And, we were the only state in the nation with that did not experience budget growth between FY 1999-00 and FY 2004-05. In fact, our budget is 8.6% less than it was in 1999-2000. Worst in the nation!  Even Alabama (57%) and Mississippi (5.4%) had budget growth during that period. Our neighbors, North Carolina (7.6%) and Georgia (9.5%) also experienced corrections budget growth.

 

Other southern states:   AK-30.3%

                                    FL-16.4%

                                    KY-17.9%

                                    LA-21%

                                    MD-12.4%        

                                    MO-14.8%

                                    OK-18%

                                    TN-26.5%

VA-17.3%        

WV-70%

 

Remember, that with the exception of LA, AK, MS and AL, all of these states were already far ahead of us in spending per inmate, before 1999.

So, while we have made progress, we have fallen to last in the nation in state appropriated funding of corrections.

 

Perspective is important and as leaders, we must have a sense of perspective. And, we must be prepared to reply to the misinformation and misunderstanding that is so common in a large organization.

 

Have a safe couple of weeks.