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| Two S.C. public safety agencies running deficits |
| By Mike Fitts - scbiznews.com |
| Published: 02/25/2009 |
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SC- Two public safety agencies reported to the state Budget and Control Board today that they expect to run multi-million dollar deficits in the current fiscal year. The Department of Corrections has a potential deficit of $39.4 million, the agency reported. The Department of Juvenile Justice reported a possible deficit of $7.4 million. DJJ has used furloughs, staff reductions and the closure of group homes to try to reduce costs, Director William R. Byars Jr. said. The agency is pursuing dollars it is owed by school districts to make up part of the shortfall. It would take the closure of four prisons to close the gap at Corrections entirely, Director Jon Ozmint told the panel. Ozmint also is concerned that further overcrowding in the system will put the state at risk of losing a federal lawsuit over conditions and safety. If three prisoners are forced to bunk in one cell, the department may be cited for unsafe conditions, Ozmint said. “We can’t point to any state and say, ‘We’re spending more than this state,’” he said. If a federal court found the state in violation, the judge could order prisoner releases or other measures to relieve the pressure, Ozmint said. Sen. Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, worried that the pressure on Corrections would only get worse next year, when budgets already have been projected to get 3% tighter. The budget that has passed the House Ways and Means Committee has $42 million in additional funds for Corrections, Ozmint said. Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom asked if it was time to consider a prisoner release program to help with costs. Ozmint said he has sent a plan to legislative leaders to do so; it would require the General Assembly to temporarily set aside several laws to do so. Ozmint noted that 48% of state inmates are nonviolent offenders, and some could be released safely. Read more. If link has expired, check the website of the article's original news source. |
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