Department of Corrections

In comparison to other departments, Corrections Services made it through the budget process largely intact. In the Preamble to the re-engrossed version of HB1 during the 2^nd Extraordinary Session, almost all Corrections programs were exempted from an across-the-board cut designed to effect a State General Fund (Direct) savings of approximately $7 million over the entire budget. Only Sheriffs’ Housing of State Inmates was not exempted. These preamble cuts were removed from the enacted version of HB1.

Attempts were made in both the Regular Session and 2^nd Extraordinary Session to use $1.5 million from Sheriffs’ Housing to fund expansion for 600 drug court slots (300 slots at $750,000 in both Adult Probation and Parole and in DHH’s budget in the Office for Addictive Disorders), but these measures were removed.

A provision to fund $3.8 million for the D.A.R.E. Program for the Louisiana Commission for Law Enforcement was included in the final version of the bill using 61 cents of the $23 per diem paid to sheriffs for housing state inmates in local facilities. Thus, sheriffs will be paid $22.39 for FY 2001, which is $1.39 higher than the $21 indicated in statute for per diem payments.

Several line-item appropriations and language amendments were made in the Corrections budget, including:

• $5.3 million for a pay increase for Correctional Security Officers and Probation and Parole Officers. This amount equates to a 3.5% raise for these officers, which would bring starting salaries up from a lowest-in-the-nation $15,324 to $15,860. In the original Executive Budget, the department requested $21 million (a 14% increase) which would have raised salaries to the Southern average. The Department of Corrections has indicated that it will make internal budget adjustments to bring the raise up to 4%;
• Approximately $11.2 million for the Juvenile Justice Settlement Agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, which also includes 220 positions. The Commissioner of Administration is authorized to distribute these funds and positions within the Department of Corrections;
• A reduction of $400,000 in State General Fund (Direct) for the appropriation for Swanson Correctional Center for Youth – Madison Parish Unit to reflect a reduction of the same amount in debt service payments on the department’s contract for the facility;
• Authorization for the Commissioner of Administration to distribute $2 million from the Contract Services Program to other programs in the Office of Youth Development due to the transfer of juvenile offenders from the Jena Juvenile Justice Center. The department is no longer contracted to house any inmates, juvenile or adult, in the Jena facility;
• An additional appropriation of $477,000 in State General Fund (Direct) for the Juvenile Justice Settlement Agreement for training expenses to instruct officers on how to better handle juvenile offenders;
• An additional appropriation of $247,000 in State General Fund (Direct) to support research, evaluation, and development services of Corrections activities conducted by the LSU School of Social Work.