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Department of Corrections tells committee vacancies are down but population is rising toward capacity
Summary
The department reported improved staffing after multi‑year pay investments, ongoing contraband problems, expanding education/work programs, a nursery pilot at Topeka, and capacity projections that could require new beds for women by 2028 and men by 2029; the department also paused a community corrections funding formula rollout and will contract an external reviewer.
The Department of Corrections told the Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice that staffing has improved following several years of pay investments but system population is rising and will meet current bed capacity within a few years unless trends change.
Mister Secretary (Department of Corrections) said the agency has "just, slightly over, 3,500 authorized positions" with nearly 60% uniform or security roles and described vacancy improvements from about 460 uniform vacancies in January 2022 to roughly 165–185 vacancies most recently, attributing gains to base pay increases and pay differentials funded by the state and legislature.
On population, the secretary said the system was near 10,100 adults pre‑pandemic, dropped to about 8,300 in March 2022, and was currently about 9,700 — an increase of roughly 1,400 since March 2022. He showed capacity figures with total bed capacity at 10,892 and said projections intersect that capacity around late 2028–2029 (women nearer 2028, men nearer 2029), which would create a need for added beds if projections hold.
The department previewed capital projects it expects to…
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