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The Challenge of Managing the County Prison
Posted 4-22-2003
One part of county government
that is extremely challenging to manage, and one that is an unavoidable
expense, is operating a county prison. In my years as county commissioner,
there have been rocky times at the Westmoreland County Prison, but, for the
most part, from an operational standpoint, things have gone as well as
possible.
From a financial perspective,
management has gone reasonably well, as we have cut costs in some areas.
But, there are other areas that certainly need improvement. When we had our
problems at the county prison several years ago and replaced upper
management, we did it through a contract with Cornell Corrections of
Houston, Texas. There was some criticism at the time for not following the
conventional warden route, but unusual circumstances required a different
approach.
While we privatized the upper
management with Cornell, and we had previously privatized the food service
management and inmate healthcare, I do not believe complete privatization
will in the long run save money or be in the best interests of the county.
Firms specialized in a certain area, like food service, can make a
difference. Nutrition Incorporated has driven our food service costs down
from $1.35 to $1 per meal, and allowed us to take a job from the food
service area and convert it into an important internal affairs position.
For a private company to
manage the entire operation, it would inherit the county's union contractual
obligations. Staffing for the most part, both management and union jobs,
would have to remain the same. I doubt if a management firm could serve
meals much cheaper, and healthcare costs are generally unavoidable. We only
offer the most basic inmate healthcare as required by law now.
Prison work can be tough, and
we don't have huge numbers of applicants for employment right now. With a
state corrections facility next door that already pays higher wages, a
private company would have no leverage to drive wages downward. I don't
think any of us would want the number of employees to be reduced to a level
that would make the prison unsafe in order for a company to make a profit.
So, I remain convinced that full privatization is not a viable route.
While, overall, we have been
pleased the work of Cornell Corrections, we are ending our two-year
relationship. Cornell's contract costs $360,000 annually for a warden and
deputy warden, as well as the administrative resources of the company. By
bringing in some out-of-county inmates, tightening up reimbursements from
work release inmates, and my initiative to charge rent to inmates, we have
covered the cost of Cornell's contract.
But with other costs rising,
and the ability to hire a warden and a deputy warden for a combined total of
around $150,000, we are allowing the contract to expire at the end of May. I
stress that from my standpoint Cornell's work has been valuable, but I am
committed to looking for any and every opportunity to reduce costs.
The Cornell contract is not
the only financial issue at the prison. We just received a report on
sick-time usage and were astounded to find out the corrections officers,
used an average of 15.65 sick days in 2002 (lieutenants and sergeants used
an average of 8.3). Their contract calls for 15 per employee -- a number
these days only seen in government. But to average slightly more than the
allocated number is a major problem that we are addressing. Does that mean
every corrections officer used that many days? Certainly not. Some used
considerably less, and we are targeting those who are clearly abusing their
sick leave.
The problem this issue
presents in a 24-hour operation is that we are not only paying for the sick
day, but for a replacement that is often being paid at time and a half. The
exploitation of sick leave is adding around $250,000 annually to our payroll
expense.
We are also working to drive
down energy costs at the prison. As part of our Guaranteed Energy Savings
program, we are going to provide a dedicated steam generation capability for
the prison. For years the prison has been purchasing steam from Westmoreland
Manor, and we have determined that the lines are faulty and that the prison
will be heated more efficiently with its own generation capability.
My goal in this article was
to share with you the complexities of running a prison. There are management
issues, employee issues, and equipment issues, and, often, there are no
simple solutions. The challenge is to balance prudent financial management
and effective prison management, while meeting our legal responsibilities.
We are always working toward that goal, but to achieve it is not always
easy. |
