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DOC reports rising population and continued use of out‑of‑state beds; contract allows up to 300 placements
Summary
Deputy Commissioner Kristen Calvert told Appropriations the incarcerated population has risen to about 1,644 (from 1,453 at end of FY25) and the department is using around 150 out‑of‑state beds under a contract that permits up to 300 placements; decisions to send people out of state are based mainly on capacity and case‑by‑case fit.
Deputy Commissioner Kristen Calvert told the Appropriations Committee the department is seeing an upward trend in its incarcerated population and remains reliant on some out‑of‑state placements. "1,453 was the total as of this slide at the end of fiscal 25, but today's incarcerated total is 1,644," she said, noting the department is "trending upwards."
Calvert said the department’s out‑of‑state population fell from nearly 500 in 2013 to about 117 on a historical chart, but "today, I believe it's 150." She explained the DOC contract allows sending up to 300 people out of state, but the department is not budgeted for that many placements and seeks to keep out‑of‑state use low. Placement decisions, she said, are driven primarily by capacity shortfalls at in‑state facilities and a case‑by‑case evaluation of whether the move would destabilize an individual’s programming, family connections or education enrollment.
Committee members asked about comparative costs and programming. Calvert said in‑state per diem costs are low relative to out‑of‑state placements: "In state is, I think, $3.15 per day per person. Out of state... it's between, like, $90 and $120, I think." She said the out‑of‑state providers have recently established medication‑assisted treatment (MAT) programs, which influenced placement decisions for some individuals.
Several committee members asked about policy levers to reduce out‑of‑state placements. Calvert and members recalled a prior Justice Reinvestment effort that temporarily reduced out‑of‑state use; that program had sunset provisions and the funding carry‑forwards that once supported reduced placements are no longer guaranteed. Committee members signaled interest in revisiting long‑term policy options as part of future budget work.
