September 28, 2009
Opinion: “Reason prisons’ costs up varies”
A recent audit says that the state's prison inmate population fell 1 percent in the past three years —- and prison costs jumped 32 percent.
Part of the problem is correctional officer wages, according to the report that state Auditor Elaine Howle released earlier this month. It also criticizes the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, with its $10 billion annual budget, for lacking "the data necessary" to figure out how overtime and other factors heap on costs.
But as Corrections Deputy Director Dave Lewis said, "The problems we face are more complex than data." The department accounts for 10 percent of the general fund, so "it's a lightning rod for criticism," he said, whenever there's money trouble…
LINK - NCTimes.com
