July 23, 2001
*Editorial*
By:Stan Taylor
Commissioner
Delaware Department of Correction
The
Department of Correction considers ensuring the safety of the public as its top
priority. We remain firm in our commitment whether the offender is in prison or
being supervised in the community. This commitment is the driving force behind
everything we do at the DOC.
The
last five years has seen the largest prison construction project in State
history. We’ve added 2,500 beds to the system at a cost of approximately $185
million. The prison construction initiative was in response to an incarcerated
population that significantly exceeded the number of beds available.
We
are now at the end of that construction program. I feel compelled to update you
on what we’ve done and where we’re going next.
The
State’s only Boot Camp opened in Georgetown in April 1997. The 100-bed Boot
Camp is located within the grounds of the Sussex Correctional Institution (SCI).
From May 1997 through March 2000, we added several more buildings at SCI
totaling nearly 700 beds.
We
opened the first of two Violation of Probation (VOP) Centers in September 1999;
a 250-bed facility in Sussex County. The Sussex VOP Center houses different
types of offenders. Some have violated the terms of their probation. These
“rules breakers” have not committed any crimes during their probation. They
have committed “technical” violations that could include failing to report
to their probation officer or failing to abide by their curfew. Others are
waiting for a bed at one of our three work release centers. All these offenders
are put to work and made to be productive while at the VOP Center.
The
second 250-bed VOP Center opened near Smyrna this past January. The Central VOP
Center houses the Crest drug treatment program. Crest is the second phase of
Delaware’s internationally recognized substance abuse program. Crest follows
KEY, Delaware’s in-prison substance abuse program. Plans to construct a third
VOP facility in New Castle County have been postponed indefinitely.
The
largest single project within the expansion was the 900-bed addition to the
Delaware Correctional Center near Smyrna. Construction is complete. We are
occupying the housing units in phases as we break-in the buildings and educate
staff.
Expansion
at the Morris Community Corrections Center in Dover is scheduled for completion
by this fall. Once the expansion is completed, the final capacity will be 150
offenders. MCCC houses work release and Crest drug treatment.
The
total cost of this 4-year project is approximately $185 million. The DOC now has
6,469 beds and almost two million square feet of institutional space worth about
$450 million. Currently, we have 6,364 inmates incarcerated in Delaware. This
expansion will allow our prisons and community corrections facilities to work
more efficiently together to return to our communities individuals better able
to be law-abiding citizens.
So
what’s next? The only construction project currently in the works is a 90-bed
treatment facility for female offenders. To be built on the grounds of the
Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution in New Castle, all 90 beds will be
devoted to treating female offenders with substance abuse problems. This will be
a transition facility; designed to treat the offender for substance addictions
while preparing the individual for a return to the community. Currently, we are
in the design phase for this new facility. Beyond the project at Baylor, the DOC
does not have any new construction projects planned.
It
has been a challenging four years at the Department of Correction. I would be
remiss if I did not commend the employees of the DOC for their efforts during
this historic expansion. These fine men and women maintained their high
professional standards and remained dedicated to their public safety mission
during this hectic time. Not one facility or institution was closed during this
major expansion. In addition, my sincerest thanks to our Human Resources
Department and our Employee Development Center for their efforts to recruit,
hire and train hundreds of new officers necessary to staff the expansion.
On behalf of the 2,600 employees of the Delaware Department of Correction, I thank you for your support of our efforts and I reiterate our commitment to making our great State a safer place in which to live.