Delaware Department of Corrections requests funds for generators, infirmary expansion and statewide repairs

Delaware Department of Corrections Commissioner Taylor outlined the DOC’s FY26 capital priorities to the Joint Committee on Capital Improvement, focusing on deferred maintenance, life-safety systems and an expansion of the female infirmary at Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution (BWCI).

Why it matters: DOC operates 11 state correctional facilities with nearly 1.9 million square feet of built space; aging mechanical and electrical systems affect daily operations, security and resident welfare.

Key requests and updates

- Minor capital improvements and equipment: The department requested $5,000,000 for MCI and equipment, a 20% increase intended to cover essential repairs and replacements across facilities—heating boilers, air conditioning systems, fire suppression, door controls and grounds maintenance.

- BWCI infirmary expansion: $8,600,000 was requested for the construction phase to enlarge medical, mental-health and assisted-living space for the female population; the project is currently in design.

- Security camera and IT infrastructure upgrades: The DOC asked for $6,100,000 to expand surveillance systems in district probation/parole offices and Howard R. Young, perform a server refresh, fiber upgrades and switch replacements at James T. Vaughn, and support data upgrades for case management and electronic records.

- Generator and automatic transfer switch replacements: Commissioner Taylor said these systems have life-expectancy limits and are an ongoing, phased need. Committee members noted a recommended request of about $6.75 million in prior materials and asked why the committee recommendation provided $2.5 million in the current round; the department described the work as phased and subject to maintenance-driven prioritization.

- Other facility work: Roof replacements, cooling-tower replacements, underground fiber installation, perimeter intrusion system upgrades and tunnel waterproofing at James T. Vaughn were among listed priorities. The department described replacing six diesel generators and numerous automatic transfer switches at SCI in Georgetown and multiple HVAC and cooling components at other facilities.

Commissioner comments and committee discussion

Commissioner Taylor thanked staff and highlighted the maintenance team’s completion of nearly 23,000 work orders in the past year. He described ongoing workload and noted that some components exceed their useful life and require replacement.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about how far the $2.5 million recommended in the draft appropriation will go toward generators and transfer switches, and about the status of a $19,000,000 medium housing unit expansion at SCI (the department said no work had yet started on that expansion). Senator and representative questions also covered recruitment and retention, employee wellness initiatives and the department’s use of technology such as tablets; the DOC said it had expanded inmate tablets this summer to a 1:1 ratio and had applied grant funding for wellness resources.

Quotes

- “We are also asking for $5,000,000 in minor capital improvements and equipment for essential repairs and equipment replacements within the Department of Correction Facilities,” Commissioner Taylor said, summarizing the MCI ask.

- On generator reliability: Commissioner Taylor said, “We currently have generators in place…These are replacements and upgrades.”

No formal votes were taken during the presentation.

Ending

The department offered facility tours to committee members and said it would continue to return with budget details and justification for multiyear projects; legislators signaled interest in revisiting the generator/transfer-switch funding levels during mark-up.