House committee grills corrections leaders on budget as staffing and health costs rise
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Summary
Lawmakers pressed the interim commissioner and finance staff over the Department of Corrections' $244 million operating budget, citing persistent vacancies, heavy overtime, rising health‑care costs and thin margins that limit options for program expansion.
The House Corrections & Institutions Committee spent the morning reviewing the Department of Corrections’ operating budget, with lawmakers focusing on staffing shortfalls, the cost of health services and whether budget projections reflect on‑the‑ground needs.
The interim commissioner of corrections, who said she was filling in for Deputy Commissioner Kristin Calver, told the committee the department’s allotted staff is "just over 1,100," and that while hiring has improved ("214 new hires in 2025"), facility vacancy rates remain elevated. "The overall staff vacancy rate throughout the entire department is just under 13%," the commissioner said, adding that vacancies are higher in frontline correctional officer ranks — "closer to just under 20%."
Committee members repeatedly pressed for more detail about where those vacancies concentrated and what drives retention problems. The commissioner pointed to overtime burdens created by understaffing and described recruitment steps: facility‑level hiring positions, expanded social‑media outreach and pilot wellness supports such as hotel stays for staff working short turnaround shifts. "We have mechanisms for them not to have to travel home if we're gonna be asking of them these sort of short turnovers," she told members.
Finance director Marlene Petit said the DOC’s total operating budget is roughly $244 million, about 95% of which is general fund. "A significant amount is for health," Petit said, identifying correctional services and medical contracts as the largest cost centers. Committee members pressed for line‑item detail and asked staff to break down health costs tied to medications, MAT/MOUD and ER transports.
Several lawmakers asked about how the state’s budgeting tools generate salaries and fringe projections. Petit said those figures are produced by the state's financial planning modules and reflect snapshot assumptions about vacancies and step increases; she agreed to follow up with itemized payroll and fringe details where numbers looked inconsistent.
The committee asked for additional staff data and follow‑up documents and scheduled more time to drill into grants, reentry programs and contracts before the panel makes recommendations to Appropriations. The committee chair said members should expect another session next week to resolve outstanding questions.
