Cut the Fat
CUT THE FAT, NOT THE MUSCLE
(May, 2009)
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While California's inmate population has grown by less than six percent since 2002, the Department of Corrections' administrative bureaucracy has doubled. Billions of dollars could be saved by streamlining operations, reducing bureaucratic staff and eliminating waste and inefficiency - without jeopardizing public safety or increasing the dangers for prison officers and parole agents.
Specifically, we propose:
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Save nearly $1 billion by capping the cost of inmate health care at a level equal to the per-patient cost of MediCal coverage. Currently, California is spending nearly twice the national average providing health care for its prison inmates, which is significantly higher than the cost of care being provided MediCal patients outside the prison system. Using the standard of care and cost established by MediCal would provide significant savings for taxpayers while ensuring adequate care for inmates.
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Save up to $500 million by trimming CDCR administrative staff, which has ballooned by 400 new positions in recent months and more than doubled two of the department's administrative divisions. Since many of these positions are focused on planning for the construction of prison facilities that will not be built in the foreseeable future, they could easily be reduced without jeopardizing prison safety or operations.
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Save $580,000 by directing the CDCR to end its lease for office space in San Diego, which has sat vacant for four years, and conduct a department wide audit to identify other unused or under-utilized lease spaces. To taxpayers, these empty offices are a symbol of government waste at its very worst. Taking action would send a powerful message to taxpayers that the Legislature is serious about protecting their money.
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Save $5 billion by postponing the AB 900 prison construction and parole programs not currently in place. Given the state's budget shortfall and the precipitous decline in state revenues, delaying these projects would be prudent.
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Save at least $50 million by discontinuing furlough days in state prisons and other state jobs requiring 24/7 staffing. Doing so would eliminate the need to pay overtime to the remaining officers, who are required to cover for the furloughed officers. Paying overtime is significantly more costly to taxpayers than filling vacant officer positions.
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Save up to $30 million by filling the 500 to 1,000 correctional officer positions that remain vacant. Currently, existing officers are being forced to work overtime to cover these positions, which is far more costly than hiring additional officers.
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Save potentially hundreds of millions of dollars ($20,000 per parolee) by embracing our past recommendation to expand Drug Court, Mental Health Court, Reentry Court and Revocation Court. Doing so would dramatically reduce costly parole revocations that send inmates back to prison. Without adequate pre-release preparation and post-release support, California's recidivism rate will remain the nation's highest.
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Save $3.2 million by cancelling the Paroles Division's current contract with the Employment Development Department, which has failed in its mission to help paroled inmates find jobs.
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Save millions by no longer providing CDCR managers and headquarters staff with state vehicles and mileage allowances for commuting to work. Cars and mileage allowances are currently being provided to about 1,000 department personnel.
- Conduct annual performance audits to determine which parole and rehabilitation programs are achieving their goals. Those that are working could then be expanded, while ineffective programs could be eliminated. Currently, this is an area of tremendous waste.
These are just some of our recommendations for reducing the cost and improving the efficiency of California's correctional system. We look forward to working with you to find others that will help the department succeed in its fundamental mission - protecting the people of California.
