By PATRICK JACKSON,
The News Journal
DOVER -- Correction Commissioner Stanley W. Taylor Jr. says higher personnel costs and inmate medical care expenses will require an 8.1 percent increase in his budget for prisons next year.
Taylor wants most of the extra money to pay for rising prison health care and staffing expenses, mostly due to growing prison populations and an inflation "escalator" in the contract with the private company that provides the state's prison health care.
But Taylor asked for no significant new programs or staffing to improve inmate health care in his request to the state Budget Office for the spending year that starts July 1.
He said his department is working with federal officials probing poor prison health care, but so far no one has suggested the need for more staff or spending. He said federal investigators are still examining parts of the prison system's medical operation.
"I can't say a lot about that," Taylor said. "We are trying to work collegially with them and arrive at a solution."
The News Journal last year documented serious flaws in the prison health care system, which is now the subject of a federal Justice Department investigation. There was no public testimony on the situation at Wednesday's hearing.
Taylor also said his department is working steadily to whittle down the 300 vacancies in its force of 1,864 correction officers reported in December 2005.
Taylor said the state soon will need to add more prison beds and expand health care facilities at Young Correctional Institution.
Taylor said he will need about $4.79 million more next year to cover cost increases for inmate health care and substance-abuse treatment programs. About $8.9 million more will be needed for projected salary increases. The department's spending request is about $247.7 million, up from this year's roughly $229.1 million budget.
The Budget Office is in the midst of a monthlong review of state agency budget requests, which will be considered as staff prepares the expected $3.3 billion operating budget Gov. Ruth Ann Minner will present to lawmakers in January.
"It is a big increase," said Jennifer "JJ" Davis, director of the office. "But they have a population that poses some very tough challenges. ... We want to look at the substance-abuse programs because they can help to prevent people from coming back again."
Contact Patrick Jackson at 678-4274 or pjackson@delawareonline.com.
