Virgin Islands Bureau of Corrections seeks $37.7 million for staff, medical and facilities upgrades

Bureau of Corrections Director Winnie Testamock asked the legislature’s Committee on Budget, Appropriations and Finance on June 18 for approval of a $37,700,000 fiscal 2026 operating budget to pay personnel, expand medical and mental‑health services and fund capital projects including a planned Swan Annex correctional facility.

Testamock told the committee the request represents a 4.4 percent increase over the current year and that personnel and benefits account for nearly 59 percent of the total. “The fiscal year 2026 budget is more than a series of line items and percentages. It is a journey of strategy, unwavering commitment, and a clear vision for a safer, more rehabilitative correctional system,” Testamock said.

Why this matters: The bureau manages both local and off‑island custody and has two active long‑running consent decrees. Lawmakers pressed bureau leaders on overtime, vendor payments and the high per‑day cost of housing detainees locally versus off island — figures bureau leaders said drive part of the budget request and long‑term planning needs.

Key facts and figures - Governor’s FY2026 request for the Bureau of Corrections: $37,700,000 (4.4% increase). - Budgeted positions for FY2026: 222; filled: 158; vacancies reported during hearing: 61 (management later said 18 vacancies on record and 10 PRFs in the pipeline). - Payroll projection for FY2026: about $15.5 million (41.3% of budget). - Fringe benefits projected: $6.5 million (17.4% of budget). - Local inmate population (as of 06/16/2025): 191 on island (111 at John A. Bell Correctional Facility on St. Croix; 80 at Alexander Farrelly Criminal Justice Complex on St. Thomas); another 160 housed off island – 21 in Florida, 32 in Virginia and 107 in…