Missouri corrections officials tell committee staffing, pay and monitoring changes central to FY‑26 budget

The Department of Corrections outlined the governor’s FY‑26 budget recommendations to the House appropriations subcommittee, stressing pay‑adjustment measures and targeted incentives intended to improve recruitment and retention at the state’s most challenging correctional sites.

Susan Pulliam, director of budget and finance for the Department of Corrections, told the panel the state prison population is “around 24,000 right now, just over,” while physical bed capacity is “just over 27,000,” and that staffing — not beds — is the current limiting factor on occupancy. Pulliam said the governor’s request includes a pay plan plus several smaller, targeted new decision items aimed at particular posts and duties.

Why it matters: Committee members pressed on costs and the operational effects of the requested items. Corrections leaders said the measures are meant to stabilize staffing, reduce overtime and limit the need to move staff around the state — steps they said will also reduce the indirect costs of vacancies, such as outsized overtime and reliance on third‑party contracts.

Most significant proposals and discussion points

Pay plan and targeted stipends: The governor’s pay plan is in the FY‑26 request; the department also asked for targeted pay add‑ons for harder‑to‑fill assignments. Pulliam described two new small hourly stipends the administration recommends: a $1‑per‑hour “maximum security” stipend for employees stationed at the state’s highest‑security sites and a $1.50‑per‑hour stipend for staff assigned to restrictive housing units. Department witnesses said those stipends are intended to reduce vacancies and turnover in the most challenging posts. The committee discussed whether the small per‑hour amounts will move the recruitment needle and how the department tracks the pay plan’s effect on retention.

Electronic monitoring for out‑counts/work release: The governor recommended funding for a contract to provide electronic monitoring on temporary out‑counts and work release (ankle devices), expanding current use of monitoring in probation/parole. Pulliam said the new equipment would be able to generate alerts and “would only be able to be unlocked by someone at the facility.” Committee members pressed about vendor selection, monitoring capacity and whether central monitoring would be resilient (for example, whether a single operator could effectively supervise many devices). The department said procurement is planned and the state will go to competitive bid.

Prison nursery and women’s services: The department repeated that a…