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Corrections superintendent: ICE and Marshal contracts shape housing and staffing; committee asks for historical revenue data
Summary
Strafford County corrections superintendent Chris Brackett told the subcommittee that unit-specific detainee mixes and classification requirements prevent easy closure of housing pods if federal contracts end; staff reported ICE detainee revenue of about $9 million and agreed to provide historical ICE revenue figures to the committee.
The subcommittee pressed county staff and the Strafford County Department of Corrections about jail income tied to federal contracts and how detainee mixes affect facility operations and staffing.
A staff presenter answered a question about jail income by saying ICE accounts for about $9 million in revenue and U.S. Marshals and other sources account for roughly $4 million. Members asked whether reducing or ending federal contracts would materially reduce staffing needs or create savings; staff and the corrections superintendent said classification rules and "keep separate" requirements make it difficult to close housing units even if federal detainees are no longer present.
Chris Brackett, superintendent of the Strafford County Department of Corrections, explained the unit-level composition and constraints: "In unit B, 12 of the 32 are ICE detainees. In unit C left, 18 of the 20 are ICE detainees," and he detailed how 'keep separate' rules and co-defendant or safety considerations require maintaining multiple staffed units. Brackett said some units could not be simply shuttered because doing so would leave dozens of people who must still be housed separately.
Members asked for historic ICE revenue by year; Representative Howard requested five years of data, and staff agreed to provide both counts (bodies) and dollar figures going back to the Obama administration and to circulate the numbers to the whole committee once the finance director returns.
Brackett and staff described the ICE and U.S. Marshals contracts as multi-year: staff said the ICE contract reached its first full year on Feb. 1, and the U.S. Marshals contract was noted as entering its second year in August; both were described as three-year agreements. The superintendent warned that even if federal detainee counts change, fixed staffing and facility constraints mean cost savings would not be proportional and any policy change would likely be the commissioners’ authority rather than the delegation’s.
The committee requested follow-up documentation and historical revenue detail; staff committed to provide the requested figures to members and to the full committee.
