State Budget Cuts

[tommyg1337]

With the new proposed budget cuts, the DOC might be releasing inmates 4 months early and cut down on community custody!!!

[cgl1210]

When will we find out about this?

Originally Posted by tommyg1337

With the new proposed budget cuts, the DOC might be releasing inmates 4 months early and cut down on community custody!!!

[nevaeh2morrow]

I just got off the phone with my husband. He was telling me the same thing. Asked me to check the gov website about some proposals to be submitted to the governor. I will be checking on that today. Apparently it all has to do with all agencies needing to cut 10% off their budgets.

[nevaeh2morrow]

HERE are the proposals from the DOC to the State for proposed 5% budget cuts and proposed 10% budget cuts

[abcortez]

where do i find out information. I went to the website listed above. I didn't see anything about releasing offenders 4 months early.

[nevaeh2morrow]

Originally Posted by abcortez

where do i find out information. I went to the website listed above. I didn't see anything about releasing offenders 4 months early.

You have to click on the 5% budget proposal and the 10% budget proposal. Here is a snippet from the 10% budget proposal.

What is the problem or opportunity the agency wants to address?
The State continues to experience the effect of a weaker-than-expected national economic recovery. Revenue collections continue to fall short of initial estimates. Due to this, OFM has directed that agencies submit GF-S budget reductions equal to 5 and 10 percent of the 2011 – 2013 Budget. For the Department of Corrections, the total target is $81.774 million at the 5% level and $163.549 million at the 10% level. Savings is estimated assuming a start date of January 1, 2012.
Exactly how does the agency want to address this problem or opportunity?
This alternative is to have those offenders assessed as a low or moderate risk to reoffend be released 120 days early. This alternative excludes offenders convicted of sex offenses. Savings are calculated based on the closure of a minimum security facility. Average daily population reduction in addition to the facility closure is calculated using the average cost per unit per offender.
What will the package funding actually buy?
This package will save money by reducing the number of offenders in prison, allowing closure of prison capacity and a reduction in staff.

You need to read the whole proposal however. The 5% proposal does not include VO or SO in the early release.

[cgl1210]

Do you know what facility they are wanting to close? Also, do you know if the 50/50 thing is going to be voted on again?

Originally Posted by momstime

You have to click on the 5% budget proposal and the 10% budget proposal. Here is a snippet from the 10% budget proposal.

What is the problem or opportunity the agency wants to address?
The State continues to experience the effect of a weaker-than-expected national economic recovery. Revenue collections continue to fall short of initial estimates. Due to this, OFM has directed that agencies submit GF-S budget reductions equal to 5 and 10 percent of the 2011 – 2013 Budget. For the Department of Corrections, the total target is $81.774 million at the 5% level and $163.549 million at the 10% level. Savings is estimated assuming a start date of January 1, 2012.
Exactly how does the agency want to address this problem or opportunity?
This alternative is to have those offenders assessed as a low or moderate risk to reoffend be released 120 days early. This alternative excludes offenders convicted of sex offenses. Savings are calculated based on the closure of a minimum security facility. Average daily population reduction in addition to the facility closure is calculated using the average cost per unit per offender.
What will the package funding actually buy?
This package will save money by reducing the number of offenders in prison, allowing closure of prison capacity and a reduction in staff.

You need to read the whole proposal however. The 5% proposal does not include VO or SO in the early release.

[tommyg1337]

Well I am sure you are all aware that things like this get posted and they get our hopes up, and let us down... so I am thinking that maybe we can encourage it a bit. Right now the state has a Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. They are allowing input from us common folk. MAYBE if we fill out the form and provide our opinions on this we can actually get somewhere. Go here and give your input to help bring our LO's home sooner. We ALL know that making cuts in the DOC will save the state big money. (I have to break the link up so it won't get deleted.)

http:// murray.senate.gov/ public/index.cfm/ deficit-reduction#friends

[nevaeh2morrow]

Originally Posted by cgl1210

Do you know what facility they are wanting to close? Also, do you know if the 50/50 thing is going to be voted on again?

The proposal is to shut down a part of WSP and make it a minimum unit. There are a number of proposed issues in both the 5% reduction and 10% reduction proposals at that link. There was nothing in the proposals about 50%.

Remember that these are only proposals that the Governor had asked DOC to come up with. I believe there will be a special meeting in Oct or Nov (?) I can't remember which month where they will discuss and decide what cuts they are going to make.

[cgl1210]

Thank you so much for the information!

[connie73]

The Special session will be in November.

[Solos-1(n)only]

Originally Posted by momstime

The proposal is to shut down a part of WSP and make it a minimum unit. There are a number of proposed issues in both the 5% reduction and 10% reduction proposals at that link. There was nothing in the proposals about 50%.

Remember that these are only proposals that the Governor had asked DOC to come up with. I believe there will be a special meeting in Oct or Nov (?) I can't remember which month where they will discuss and decide what cuts they are going to make.

Where would my fiance go than? If he dont get it. Hes not a min costudy he is max.

Mrs. Rocha

[nevaeh2morrow]

Originally Posted by Solos-1(n)only

Where would my fiance go than? If he dont get it. Hes not a min costudy he is max.

Mrs. Rocha

I have no clue!

[tommyg1337]

Gov. Chris Gregoire announced that she will call legislators in for a special session, beginning Nov. 28, 2011.

[jas509]

I seen this proposal in the newspaper today. It would be nice if my husband had no supervision when released. He is worried he will get a tough Corrections Supervisor when he gets out. For some people it is hard to get off paper. If this budget cut does go through, I hope they still might have some resources available for inmates who need them. We have 4yrs until his release

[nevaeh2morrow]

Honestly, I would much rather have a tough CCO than have him locked up! He's been locked up for 19 years and we have 4 more to go! As far as resources - if they DO end up giving these guys some time off I seriously doubt there is going to be many resources left for them when they get out.

[WA CCO]

None of you wants this. Yes you're seeing the 120 days off a sentance. What your missing is the fine print. The 120 day cut only applies to low and moderate risk offenders, NOT the high non violent or high violent offenders (which most prison inmates are).

With these cuts, chemical dependency treatment is gone. Most offenders are addicts. Gone are another 2-3 prisons (read DNR camps). Since the prison population is already at 101-102% you can see out of state placement again.

If worse comes to worse, it'll be 10+ years before DOC will even begin to restore these services. The cuts will hurt offenders far more then they will help them.

[nevaeh2morrow]

I actually did understand all of this when I read it. So some of us might like it!

[abcortez]

My son is not getting treatment now. So what if they cut the program. Wasn't getting it anyway.

[Hunnybear1]

The thing of it is that Gregoire is trying to raise the state sales tax so that she doesn't have to let offenders out early. She is and always has been against offenders getting out early. I am hopeful that it will pass and my husband will be out sooner than we had anticipated but I have gotten my hopes up before with other bills that have been introduced and they haven't gone thru.

[WA CCO]

Originally Posted by abcortez

My son is not getting treatment now. So what if they cut the program. Wasn't getting it anyway.

Just because he's not getting it right now, that's a reason to chop the program?