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Corrections budget totals $2.1 billion; staffing and health care cited as main drivers
Summary
House Appropriations Subcommittee on Corrections and Judiciary received an overview from Robin Risco of the House Fiscal Agency showing a $2.1 billion corrections budget dominated by prison operations, heavy use of general fund dollars, large staffing vacancies and rising per-prisoner health costs.
Robin Risco, fiscal analyst with the House Fiscal Agency, told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Corrections and Judiciary that the Department of Corrections’ fiscal 2025 budget totals roughly $2.1 billion and is financed predominantly by state general fund dollars.
The overview, presented at the committee meeting, said $1.7 billion — about 77% of the corrections appropriation — is devoted to prison operations, and that roughly 98% of the department’s budget comes from state general purpose revenue. "The budget is one of the bigger budgets," Risco said, adding that health care and employee costs are the largest components of budget growth.
Why it matters: Corrections consumes a substantial share of the state general fund and competes with other priorities such as higher education and social services. The department’s aging prisoner population and persistent staffing shortages place upward pressure on health-care and overtime costs.
Risco walked the committee through trends and…
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