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DOC requests staff annualization, pilot medication program as community reentry expands
Summary
The Department of Correction asked the committee to annualize personnel costs for newly opened reentry positions at Pocatello, expand community reentry operations and pilot medications for opioid use disorder for incarcerated people, with several new FTP and ongoing costs proposed.
The Department of Correction presented requests to the Joint Finance Preparatory Committee to fund staff and operations tied to expanded community reentry centers and to pilot medication‑assisted treatment for people leaving custody.
Legislative analyst Noah Peterson said the agency received earlier appropriations for community reentry operations, including 20 FTP to support new centers and administrative positions. Seventeen of those positions were appropriated for six months initially; the department requested an annualization amount of $680,700 to fund those positions on an ongoing basis. If approved, Peterson said, the ongoing budget for the Pocatello Community Reentry Center would be about $2,400,000.
Peterson also described a range of community‑based investments: a prior $1,300,000 appropriation to expand the community reentry program (16 FTP referenced in the materials), $721,200 for expanded drug testing to include opioids such as fentanyl, $750,000 for transitional housing for people reintegrating into the community, and a small pilot to provide medications for opioid use disorder. The latter pilot was appropriated with two FTP to coordinate community treatment for people leaving custody.
Why this matters: Committee materials tie these investments to goals of reducing recidivism and improving reentry outcomes. Several materials and committee questions noted that the initial hires were timed mid‑year and that the committee needed the annualization request to fund full‑year personnel costs.
Next steps: Analysts said the annualization figure and program expansions are included in the Department’s FY2026 enhancement requests and will be considered alongside other statewide priorities in the budget process.
