Lawmaker squawks at plan to expand prison egg production

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Director Jon Ozmint said increasing the system's egg production from 10,000 to 100,000 a day may eventually help the prison become self-sufficient.

A $1.7 million bank loan will allow them to produce enough eggs to feed themselves and sell some on the open market, he said.

"We consume 72,000 eggs a day," Ozmint said. "When we get this up and running, we will produce all of our own eggs and sell enough eggs on the open market outside of South Carolina to recoup the costs of salaries."

Not everyone is on board with the proposal.

Rep. Bill Cotty-R, Richland, said he voted to allow the department to produce eggs for its own use but wasn't aware of plans to sell them. He said the prison system shouldn't be given an advantage over private businesses that pay taxes.

"No, I don't want to go into the Piggly Wiggly and see the South Carolina Corrections Department hen sitting there with the eggs, selling to the public," he said. "That wasn't the purpose of what we're doing."

Ozmint said Corrections officials are not out to make a profit. If the population continues to grow by 1,200 inmates a year, the prisons may not produce enough eggs to feed themselves.

He said the department ran a $27 million deficit this past fiscal year and will have a deficit next year. He said $72 million worth of budget cuts over the last three years have hurt the department's treatment programs to the point many won't get help.

"The more efficient I can become on feeding, clothing and housing inmates, the more money I have for treating inmates," he said. "That's why these self-sufficiencies on the farm and in the prison industry are so important."

Ozmint said the prison system is already among the top-five most-efficient systems in the country. It spends about $11,000 per inmate a year, he said.

"This administration has a goal of trying to keep the cost per inmate as low as possible," he said.

Total daily food cost, including salaries and personnel, is $1.92 per inmate, he said. That provides three hot meals a day using food that is grown and raised on their own farms. The system has 8,000 acres at Wateree River, 1,800 at Broad River and 1,400 at MacDougall, Ozmint said.

"We have a farming operation that keeps our food costs low, and we're constantly looking for ways to expand that," he said.

He said they would need cold storage space in the future that would reduce the daily inmate cost by about 8 cents. He also hopes to expand its dairy operation. He said the state could save money by providing schools with milk.

He said the department should be as self-sufficient as possible rather than hiring someone to provide the same service at a higher cost.

Cotty said it's a double-edged sword. The department has budget problems, but it shouldn't compete against private jobs.

"What that does is open the door to direct competition against people who are getting jobs and paying taxes," he said. "It also opens the door wide-open to partnership with private firms."

Because it's a state agency, the Corrections Department is exempt from bidding on projects. "You're giving them a tremendous advantage," Cotty said.

Ozmint said he has no intention of partnering with private firms.

House Speaker David Wilkins said he wasn't aware of Ozmint's intentions to sell the eggs.

"I think it's a balancing act," Wilkins said. "I think it's very positive to have some sort of prison industry, but at the same token, I think you have to be a little careful about unfairly competing with private industry."

Ozmint said another goal is to improve reduce medical costs.

Corrections officials spend $3,000 a year to feed, clothe and give medical care to each inmate, he said. He said $2,400 of that is spent on medical costs.

"We're caring for people who've never been to a doctor," he said.

He said Corrections officials are going to solicit bids to privatize the health care and compare those bids to their own plan to make it more efficient.

Andy Paras covers public safety and crime. He can be reached at 298-4220.