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LSO: DOC facing cash pressure and frequent supplementals as populations rise
Summary
LSO told the committee inmate labor and probation/parole dedicated funds have declined because of lost contracts and stagnant collections; DOC’s population forecasts and facility capacity shortfalls are driving supplementals for county/out-of-state placements and medical services.
Noah Peterson of the Legislative Services Office told the Judiciary & Rules Committee that the Department of Correction’s agency-dedicated funds (notably the inmate labor fund and the probation/parole receipts fund) have seen large declines in unobligated cash balances. He attributed the inmate labor shortfall to lost contracts and said probation fee collections are difficult to increase. The statutory cap for probation fees is $75 per month; LSO said the department currently charges $60 standard and $30 for limited supervision.
Peterson said population-driven programs — county and out-of-state placement and medical services — account for most near-term budget growth and are difficult to forecast because agencies submit population projections up to 22 months ahead. He reported DOC facilities are full: LSO cited a maximum in-state capacity of 8,232 residents and an assigned-inmate count of 10,052, which requires placements in county jails or out-of-state facilities. Peterson summarized that recent supplementals (including multi-million-dollar requests in FY24–FY26) reflect the challenge of predicting populations so far in advance.
Senators asked how vacancy reductions were handled and whether funded positions remained open; Peterson said positions that were vacant longer than six months were removed from the budget and that he would follow up with the agency on any remaining funded vacancies. Committee discussion noted that forecasting error has produced frequent supplementals in recent years.
