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One of the departments hardest hit by Gov. Perdue's budget cuts will be the state prison system.
Department of Correction officials say the budget will cost them 500 jobs over the next two years and force them to close seven prisons.
The closings will certainly have an effect on some small towns like Butner.
The word "prison" usually conjures images of stark walls and rows of razor wire, but Butner's minimum security prison isn't quite as foreboding.
In fact, the idea of losing the Umstead Correctional Center doesn't sit well with a lot of people in town.
"We're accustomed to the facility," said Mayor Tom Lane. "It's been a part of the community and we have real concerns."
Umstead houses more than 100 inmates, and employs 45 people.
Next year, though, the governor plans to shut it down, along with six other facilities around North Carolina.
"It means a loss of some jobs. People that we know as Butner citizens," said Lane. "People that we want to be a part of their life and they're part of ours."
"We will be able to replace, we hope, most of those folks in vacancies at other prisons," said Keith Acree, a spokesperson for the Department of Corrections. "We can't guarantee that we can do that for everyone, but we're certainly going to make that effort."
The goal is to reduce the department's budget by about $68 million, and consolidating everything will mean that inmates in Butner and other places will have to be transferred elsewhere.
"We have to double-cell inmates in certain locations," said Acree. "So there's quite a bit of work we have to do in terms of population management to make this all work."
Acree says 500 jobs sounds like a lot, but he also points out that the prison system employs more than 20,000 people statewide.
The budget wasn't all bad news for the Department of Correction.
In addition to the cuts, there are also some budget increases.
Those include $12 million for the probation system, which will help hire 117 new officers, 29 new supervisors and increase pay for current officers.
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Keep up with the stories Chris Cowperthwaite is working on every day: http://twitter.com/CCowperthwaite.
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By lee on 03/18 09:34 AM
please wtite to your house an senate members an ask for their support
By lee on 03/18 09:31 AM
The Library of Congress > THOMAS Home > Bills, Resolutions > Search Results -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THIS SEARCH THIS DOCUMENT GO TO Next Hit Forward New Bills Search Prev Hit Back HomePage Hit List Best Sections Help Contents Display -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GPO's PDF Display Congressional Record References Bill Summary & Status Printer Friendly Display - 6,125 bytes.[Help] XML Display [Help] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Federal Prison Work Incentive Act of 2009 (Introduced in House) HR 1475 IH 111th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1475 To amend title 18, United States Code, to restore the former system of good time allowances toward service of Federal prison terms, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 12, 2009 Mr. DAVIS of Illinois (for himself, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. RUSH, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Ms. WATERS, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. FATTAH, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida, Mr. CUMMINGS, and Mr. CLAY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A BILL To amend title 18, United States Code, to restore the former system of good time allowances toward service of Federal prison terms, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the `Federal Prison Work Incentive Act of 2009'. SEC. 2. RESTORATION OF FORMER GOOD TIME SYSTEM. (a) In General- Part III of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after chapter 307 the following: `CHAPTER 309--GOOD TIME ALLOWANCES `Sec. `4161. Computation generally. `4162. Industrial good time. `4163. Discharge. `4164. Forfeiture for offense. `4165. Restoration of forfeited commutation. `Sec. 4161. Computation generally `(a) Each prisoner convicted of an offense against the United States and confined in a penal or correctional institution for a definite term other than for life, whose record of conduct shows that the prisoner has substantially observed all regulations promulgated by the Director of the Bureau of Prisons and has not been subjected to punishment, shall be entitled to a deduction from the term of his sentence imposed beginning with the day on which the sentence commences to run, and including time served in pretrial confinement, as follows: `(1) 5 days for each month of the sentence, if the sentence is not less than 6 months and not more than 1 year. `(2) 6 days for each month of the sentence, if the sentence is more than 1 year and less than 3 years. `(3) 7 days for each month of the sentence, if the sentence is not less than 3 years and less than 5 years. `(4) 8 days for each month of the sentence, if the sentence is not less than 5 years and less than 10 years. `(5) 10 days for each month of the sentence, if the sentence is 10 years of more. `(b) When 2 or more consecutive sentences are to be served, the aggregate of the several sentences shall be the basis upon which the deduction shall be computed. `Sec. 4162. Industrial good time `(a) A prisoner may, in the discretion of the Director of the Bureau of Prisons, be allowed a deduction from that prisoner's sentence of not to exceed 3 days for each month of actual employment in an industry or camp for the first year or any part thereof, and not to exceed 5 days for each month of any succeeding year or part thereof. `(b) In the discretion of the Director of the Bureau of Prisons such allowance may also be made to a prisoner performing exceptionally meritorious service or performing duties of outstanding importance in connection with institutional operations. `(c) Such allowance shall be in addition to commutation of time for good conduct, and under the same terms and conditions and without regard to length of sentence. `Sec. 4163. Discharge `Except as otherwise provided by law a prisoner shall be released at the expiration of the term of sentence less the time deducted for good conduct. A certificate of such deduction shall be entered on the commitment by the Warden or keeper. If such release date falls upon a Saturday, a Sunday, or on a Monday which is a legal holiday at the place of confinement, the prisoner may be released at the discretion of the warden or keeper on the preceding Friday. If such release date falls on a holiday which falls other than on a Saturday, Sunday, or Monday, the prisoner may be released at the discretion of the warden or keeper on the day preceding the holiday. `Sec. 4164. Forfeiture for offense `If during the term of imprisonment a prisoner commits any offense or violates the regulations promulgated by the Director of the Bureau of Prisons, all or any part of his earned good time may be forfeited. `Sec. 4165. Restoration of forfeited commutation `The Director of the Bureau of Prisons shall by regulation provide for the criteria for and means of restoration of any forfeited or lost good time or portion.'. (b) Clerical Amendment- The table of chapters for part III of title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking the item relating to chapter 309 and inserting the following: 4161'. (c) Conforming Repeal and Cross Reference Change- Section 3624 of title 18, United States Code, is amended-- (1) by striking subsection (b); and (2) in subsection (a), by striking `subsection (b)' and inserting `chapter 309'. (d) Application of Amendments- This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall apply with respect to-- (1) all prisoners, other than those to whom the former system of the former chapter 309 of title 18 applies, as of the date of the enactment of this Act; and (2) all periods of imprisonment of the prisoners to whom it applies that occur after the date of that enactment. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THIS SEARCH THIS DOCUMENT GO TO Next Hit Forward New Bills Search Prev Hit Back HomePage Hit List Best Sections Help Contents Display -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THOMAS Home | Contact | Accessibility | Legal | USA.gov
By lee on 03/18 09:20 AM
HR 1475 Federal Prison Work Incentive Act (Good Time) Minimally saves $2 billion annually BOP is nearing 40% over capacity Incentive for inmate positive/appropriate behavior Prison overcrowding is dangerous for inmates and BOP staff. Increased good time will save the US taxpayers a minimum of $2 billion per year by taking offenders out of the prison system earlier. Good Time reduces inmate populations considerably. Currently, the BOP is approaching 40% over capacity. Today there are over 203,000 inmates in the federal system Good Time rewards those inmates who have shown positive behavior. Although early release would not be guaranteed, it would allow a 2nd chance to those who prove they are deserving of another chance. The cost to house an inmate for 12 months is conservatively $40,000. Costs nearly double for inmates with medical issues and costs rise significantly for all inmates over age 60. Inmates do not receive the same health care and lengthy non-parolable sentences cause medical emergencies for those in facilities and huge indigent health care costs upon release. The BOP would need to hire over 13,000 staff members to meet the inmate to staff ratio of 10 years ago. Building additional bed space in prisons will not resolve the systemic issues of the prison system. The BOP is going to triple bunking because of lack of bed space, which heightens tensions and makes it more dangerous for both staff and inmates. Lengthy sentences have an inordinate impact on inmates’ families, particularly children who are forced
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