Good Morning,

 

First, let me congratulate the leadership and members of the SCCA for winning the ACA’s Blanche La Du Award, for the highest percentage of membership growth over the past twelve months. SCCA President Clay Catoe and President Elect Cecilia Reynolds accepted the award at a recent ACA meeting.

 

Despite rocky economic times, the employees of this agency continue to accomplish our mission of providing safe prisons, serving inmates and others, and being good stewards of the resources provided.

 

The current budget crisis has forced us all to cut down on travel…but I am confident that each of you continues to focus on details to ensure that our prisons are ALWAYS immaculately clean, neat and orderly places. Attention to detail matters. It sends a clear message that we care about our duties and it spills over into everything that we do. Neglect of these basics sends the message that we do not care…that spills over as well.

 

 

For the past six years, legislative budget leaders have made a point of proving that they have exclusive power over the budget, over-riding vetoes with glee, literally boasting about their power and gloating about their reckless and unsustainable spending decisions.

 

When Governor Sanford suggested that they set aside funds for a rainy day, fund core services like corrections, and control spending, the state’s leading budget writer even called the governor, elected twice by the people of this state, nothing more than a “chicken little.”

 

Now, the sky has fallen and that same senator has suggested that we cut salaries for correctional officers to cover years of legislative mismanagement.

 

I hope that each of you understand the dire financial situation that legislative budget leaders have created: it is nothing short of a disaster. And, if this agency were to be forced by lawmakers to implement cuts of the size required by their mismanagement, it will create safety and security nightmares.

 

As he has for six years, Governor Sanford says “no” to such recklessness and continues to urge lawmakers to exempt this agency from further cuts. Unfortunately, past mismanagement of state’s budget will still force us to make dangerous cuts and report a deficit. Thankfully, at present, lawmakers seem to be heeding the Governor’s advice to minimize further cuts to this agency.

 

I have long believed that our most marginal activities, such as inmate education and chaplains services, are more core to state government than the most essential missions and purposes of many funded activities and organizations, including but not limited to local grants, expenditures on lobbyists, relic rooms, museums, art commissions, human affairs, energy and film offices, archives, duplicative ‘economic development’ entities, extension services, enterprise architecture, business services, the office of local government, the office of research and statistics, real property management, and ever-growing expenditures on education that continue to produce no better outcomes.

 

Recently, legislative budget leaders asked this agency to submit a list of expenditures that represent our most marginal expenditures. Below is the Introduction to our response to that request.

 

 

This administration is not advocating for any of the spending cut proposals put forth in this Memorandum. SCDC’s position remains consistent with Governor Sanford’s: we believe that Corrections should be held harmless throughout this crisis, which was predicted, avoidable and exacerbated by years of neglect of this agency. Sadly, because the budgetary proposals, advice, and predictions of this administration and others went unheeded, year after year, public safety may be jeopardized and the safety and economic security of state employees may be lost.

 

We do not advocate for the early release of inmates or the closing of prisons. Likewise, we do not advocate for further cuts in any of the line items listed in option two.

 

As a direct consequence of the failure to heed warnings and spend and save wisely, legislative budget staff has now asked us to recommend cuts to this agency. For this reason only, we are submitting this response. In doing so, we are compelled to put forth the safest avenue to make the drastic and inherently dangerous cuts that budget writers and lawmakers may force upon this agency. We do so only in response to your request.

 

These options require the specific legislative relief that we have included. Closing prisons or implementing cuts without the specific legislative tools, protections and relief requested would be so dangerous as to constitute gross negligence or recklessness in violation of our fiduciary duties.

 

Option one is dangerous and risky for reasons that are self apparent. However, any of the potential cuts listed in Option two are even more dangerous.

 

Legislative neglect has already created funding and staffing shortages in this agency. Even with no further cuts, budget writers have forced the employees of this agency to accept more risk than 47 other state legislatures.

 

Even in our security ranks, with hundreds of lost positions, security posts that have long been unmanned and years of legislative refusal to fund adequate technology to plug those holes, we cannot guarantee that we can safely manage the inmate population with further cuts.

 

Eliminating programming within an already bare-bones system will virtually guarantee bad outcomes as inmate idleness, hopelessness, isolation, and frustration will lead to anger, assaultive behavior, and escapes.

 

These bad outcomes may go unnoticed by lawmakers and the public.

 

However, riots, hostage situations, homicides and suicides will likely garner more attention. Similar to the current budget situation, all of these bad outcomes are predictable and avoidable: even now, after years of neglect and cuts, we urge you to follow the Governor’s advice and hold this agency harmless.

 

Let me repeat: these options are inherently dangerous. We recommend no part of either option.

 

 

As you can see, this administration continues to recognize the efficiency and frugality of this agency.

 

Lawmakers have ignored the warnings and advice of the Governor for six years. As the legislature reconvenes to confront this self-created mess, we are hopeful that they will not ask the employees of this agency to pay the price, yet again, for their reckless spending decisions.

 

Thought you ought to know.

 

Keep up the good work.