State Prison Expenditures, 1996 Bureau of Justice Statistics U.S. Department of Justice August 1999, NCJ 172211 By James J. Stephan Statistician Bureau of Justice Statistics ------------------------------------------------------------- This file is text only without graphics and many of the tables. A Zip archive of the tables in this report in spreadsheet format (.wk1) and the full report including table and graphics in .pdf format are available from: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/spe01.htm This report is one in a series. More recent editions may be available. To view a list of all in the series go to http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pubalp2.htm#spe ------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------- Contents Acknowledgments Highlights Introduction Total expenditure, 1985-96 Table 1. State prisons: Total, operating, and capital expenditures, and operating expenditures per inmate, fiscal year 1996 Expenditure, fiscal year 1996 Capital expenditures Table 2. State prisons: Components of capital expenditures, fiscal year 1996 Operating expenditures Table 3. State prisons: Components of operating expenditures, fiscal year 1996 Five core expenditures Table 4. State prison expenditures for medical care, food service, inmate programs, utilities, and transportation, fiscal year 1996 Medical care Table 5. State prison expenditures for inmate medical care, fiscal year 1996 Food service Table 6. State prison expenditures for food service, fiscal year 1996 Inmate programs Table 7. State prison expenditures for inmate programs, fiscal year 1996 Utilities Table 8. State prison expenditures for utilities, fiscal year 1996 Transportation Table 9. State prison expenditures for transportation, fiscal year 1996 Differences in prison costs Inmate-to-staff ratios Average number of inmates per facility Transfer payments Facility security level Methodology Data limitations Adjusting for inflation Underreporting Estimating average daily population U.S. resident population Appendix table. Surveys of government finances, 1985-96: Expenditures for total State corrections and for State prisons in 1996 constant dollars ---------------------------------------------------------------- Highlights For Fiscal year 1996 States and the District of Columbia reported that they spent $22 billion for adult prisons -- to build, staff, and maintain the facilities and to house the prisoners. The Federal Bureau of Prisons spent an additional $2.5 billion. ---------------------------------------------------------------- State expenditures in 1,000's (1996 constant dollars) 1984 1990 1996 Percent of total Percent of total Percent of total Total $6778000 100% $12033000 100% $22033000 100% Operating 5904000 87 11347000 94 20738000 94 Capital 874000 13 686000 6 1295000 6 Sources: The expenditures for 1984 and 1990 from the BJS Censuses of State Correctional Facilities have been adjusted to 1996 dollars. Figures for 1984 and 1990 may exclude some central office outlays. ---------------------------------------------------------------- These estimates come from a study based on the 1996 Survey of Government Finances, conducted by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. On behalf of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), government finance specialists contacted State budget officers and department of corrections officials and elaborated the survey data for corrections categories. (See the box on this page summarizing the included and excluded expenditures and Methodology for details.) ---------------------------------------------------------------- What activities and expenditures does the survey cover? Included* Excluded Adult prison operations Prisons not holding inmates during FY 1996 Wages, salaries, benefits State juvenile justice activities Food service Probation and parole services Medical care Nonresidential community corrections Transportation and utilities Inmate programs Capital outlays Facility construction and renovation Major repairs Land and building purchases *Expenditures are net amounts after deductions for revenue from prison farms, industries, and services. ---------------------------------------------------------------- The Nation's prisons cost $24.5 billion in 1996 *Prison operations accounted for about 80% of all State correctional expenditures in 1996. The remaining 20% was for juvenile justice activities, probation and parole services, and community-based corrections. Average inmate cost approximately $20,100 per year *When prison operating expenditures were divided by the average number of inmates incarcerated during 1996, the nationwide average annual cost to house each State inmate was $20,100, and each Federal inmate, $23,500. State and Federal prison spending up after 1990 *State prison expenditures increased 83% from $12 billion in 1990 to $22 billion in 1996, an average of about 11% per year. *Federal prison expenditures rose 160% from $946 million in 1990 to $2.5 billion in 1996, an average of about 17% per year. Nearly all money was used for daily operations *Approximately $1.3 billion, or 6% of State prison expenditure in 1996, went for new construction, renovations, major repairs, equipment, land and building purchases, and other major nonrecurring outlays, leaving $20.7 billion, or 96% for salaries, wages, benefits, and other operating expenses. Prison costs per U.S. resident increased *The total annual burden of State correctional expenses rose from $53 (in constant 1996 dollars) per U.S. resident in 1985 to $103 in 1996. *Per resident spending for State prisons increased each year an average 7.3% between 1985 and 1996 -- about twice the 3.6% annual average rise in spending for State education. *The annual per resident cost of State prison operation alone increased from $40 in 1985 to $79 in 1996. Prison costs were related to factors outside the correctional system *Average operating costs per inmate in 1996 varied by State, reflecting wide differences in costs of living, prevailing wage rates, and other factors over which corrections administrators have little control. ---------------------------------------------------------------- State prison expenditures Fiscal 1996 Expenditures Daily costs Selected items in 1,000's* per inmate Inmate medical care $2456300 $6.54 Inmate programs 1231100 3.28 Food service 1112900 2.96 Utilities 682028 1.81 Transportation/travel 197000 0.52 *National totals are based on estimates for all States. ---------------------------------------------------------------- *The highest average annual operating cost per State inmate occurred in Minnesota, ($37,800) and the lowest in Alabama ($8,000). Five core expenses cost State prison systems more than $5 billion in FY 1996 *Outlays for services, programs, and activities related to inmate medical and dental care, including employee salaries, were about 12% of all State prison operating expenditures in 1996. *Medical and dental care cost an annual average of $2,386, or $6.54 per day for each inmate. *Daily expenditures per inmate for other State prison activities included the following: inmate programs, $3.28; food service, $2.96; utilities, $1.81; and transportation and travel, $0.52. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Employee salaries and benefits accounted for the majority of prison expenditures *Salaries and wages for prison staff were the largest regularly recurring by far, totaling more than $10.7 billion, or about half of State prison expenditures. *Employer contributions to employee benefits were the second largest item, at $3.1 billion, or 14% of the total. Fiscal 1996 State expenditures in 1,000' Percent of total Total 22033200 100% Operating 20737800 94% Salaries and wages 10774900 49 Employee benefits 3060900 14 Other 6902000 31 Capital 1295300 6% Construction 808400 4 Equipment 301400 1 Land and existing structures 185,500 * *Less than 1%. Detail may not add to total because of rounding. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Several operational factors were associated with prison costs *Across the States high overall inmate-to-staff ratios were associated with low average costs per inmate. *States that maintained facilities with larger capacities tended to report lower average costs per inmate than States having smaller facilities. *Some States were unable to separate community corrections from prison expenditures. This accounting difference resulted in higher reported operating costs per prisoner in those States. Introduction This report presents comparative data on the cost of operating adult confinement facilities, generally referred to as prisons, in each of the 50 States and the District of Columbia during Fiscal year 1996. Prisons are defined as correctional facilities in which less than 50% of the inmates regularly leave the institution, unaccompanied, to work or study in the community. Expenditures of prisons not in operation during Fiscal year 1996 are excluded, as are State juvenile justice, probation and parole services, and nonresidential community-based corrections. Expenditures, as used in this study, include the entire amount of money paid out, including principal and interest, investment in securities, extensions of loans, and agency transactions. All figures are net amounts after deductions for revenue-generating activities such as farm produce and industrial products and services. Unlike correctional cost studies based on budgeted numbers or a combination of budgeted and expended amounts, this study focuses exclusively on expenditures. It includes State-level data on employee salaries, wages, employer contributions to employee benefits, operating costs per inmate, and capital outlays for facility construction, renovations, major repairs, land and building purchases. Additional information is presented on the costs of prison food service, inmate programs, medical care, transportation and utilities. Assuming available time and resources, BJS anticipates completing a future State prison expenditure study based on State reporting of FY 2001 data. Since 1971 BJS and its predecessor agencies have published Justice Expenditure and Employment (CJEE), a series which includes information on State correctional expenditures. The CJEE is broad-based, describing the expenditures of both States and localities for all correctional activities, police protection, and judicial and legal activities. It also reports the number of State and local criminal justice employees by function and payroll status. A BJS Justice Expenditure and Employment publication is available for 1992, and reports for 1993 through 1995 are being prepared. Unlike the CJEE, the BJS expenditure antecedent to State Prison Expenditures 1996 focused exclusively on State correctional facility costs and was based on individual facilities. As part of the 1984 and 1990 Censuses of State Correctional Facilities, State-level information was gathered on total, operating, and capital expenditures of individual State prison systems. Reporters within each facility provided expenditure data, with information on facility physical characteristics, inmate population, health and safety conditions, staff, and programs. In developing the 1996 data collection, BJS sought to enhance the comparability of jurisdictions. In past collections cost figures of some States included juvenile services. Other States reported probation and parole activities together with prison costs. Transfer payments from State agencies outside the department of corrections were not always counted. Transportation costs, employee benefits, medical services, and other line items were included in the total expenditures reported by some respondents but not by others. In the 1996 data collection, the U.S. Census Bureau's FY 1996 survey of Government Finances was accessed and information pertaining to State institutional corrections expenditures was extracted to provide the nucleus of the material used to produce State Prison Expenditures 1996. See Methodology for information on the methods used to extract the correctional expenditures and other data collection procedures. During the early stages of this expenditures project, the State/Federal Committee of the Association of State Correctional Administrators received a BJS briefing. Afterwards the committee received preliminary findings and a prepublication copy of the final results. Total expenditure, 1985-96 State correctional costs more than doubled between 1985 and 1996 According to data reported by each State in the U.S. Census Bureau's annual Survey of Government Finances, the Nation's expenditures on State correctional activities rose 115% from approximately $12.7 billion in 1985 to $27.3 billion in 1996 (figure 1). (Footnote: Federal correctional spending, as a non-State cost, was outside the scope of this study. However, Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) officials reported separately that outlays for its prison operations in FY 1996 amounted to nearly $2.5 billion, or about 10% of the Nation's prison expenditure. BOP's annual operating expenditure per inmate was $23,500. In 1990, these numbers, adjusted for inflation, were $946 million and $16,800, respectively.) Expenditures specifically for State prison activities increased from $9.6 billion in 1985 to $20.9 billion in 1996. Interviews with State budget officials by the Bureau of the Census for this report produced a revised 1996 estimate of $22 billion. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Each year between 1985 and 1996 States increased their spending for all corrections an average 7.2% and for prisons alone an average 7.3% State spending for corrections in billions of 1996 constant dollars Year Total Prison only 1985 $12.74328 $9.624142 14.58456 10.95874 15.20838 11.47116 16.79280 13.00458 18.33097 14.15396 1990 20.09905 15.56342 21.72088 16.94813 22.22833 16.98916 22.42527 17.21056 24.37697 18.69460 1995 26.60853 20.51125 1996 27.32414 20.89324 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Total State correctional expenditures include the cost of operating prisons and related institutions such as reformatories, prison farms, institutions exclusively for the criminally insane, institutions for the reception, evaluation and classification of inmates; and correctional facilities for the treatment of drug addicts and alcoholics. In addition to prison operations, State correctional expenditures include juvenile detention and correctional activities, parole boards and programs, pardon boards, probation activities, including those administered by courts, and correctional administration not directly connected to institutions. State costs per resident for corrections increased faster than costs for education, health, and natural resources As an annual cost per U.S. resident, total State correctional spending rose from $53 in 1985 to $103 in 1996. Per resident outlays for State prison operations alone rose from $40 in 1985 to $79 in 1996. State correctional spending increased an average 7.2% per year, and spending for prisons specifically, 7.3%. Such spending was about twice the annual increase for State education (3.6%) and more than twice the increase for State natural resources (2.9%). ---------------------------------------------------------------- Annual per capita costs (in 1996 constant dollars) for selected State expenditures Total Public Fiscal year corrections Prisons Health Education welfare Natural resources 1985 $53 $40 $67 $749 $392 $39 1990 81 62 93 861 490 46 1995 101 78 120 970 757 49 1996 103 79 123 994 738 49 Average annual percent change 7.2% 7.3% 6.6% 3.6% 7.0% 2.9% Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, State Government Finances, 1985-96. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Although State corrections costs grew at a faster rate than some other areas from 1985 to 1996, corrections' relative share of the total outlay remained small. At $994 billion, State spending for education in FY 1996 was nearly 10 times larger than that for corrections, and public welfare was about 7 times larger. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Table 1. State prisons: Total, operating, and capital expenditures, and operating expenditures per inmate, fiscal year Expenditures (in 1,000's of dollars) Operating expenditures Estimated average Region and Percent Percent of in dollars per inmate daily number of jurisdiction Total Operating of total Capital total Per year Per day inmates, 1995-96* Total $22033214 $20737888 94 % $1295326 6 % $20142 $55.18 1029595 Northeast 5083959 4690704 92 % 393256 8 % 28996 79.44 161773 Connecticut 497838 475367 94 22471 6 31912 87.43 14896 Maine 51713 48206 93 3507 7 33711 92.36 1430 Massachusetts 309674 304483 98 5191 2 26002 71.24 11710 New Hampshire 42970 42429 99 541 1 20839 57.09 2036 New Jersey 839308 827115 98 12193 2 30773 84.31 26878 New York 2220586 1948752 88 271835 12 28426 77.88 68556 Pennsylvania 978769 902244 92 76525 8 28063 76.88 32151 Rhode Island 109596 108683 99 913 1 35739 97.92 3041 Vermont 33505 33426 100 79 ... 31094 85.19 1075 Midwest 4502037 4254686 94 % 247351 6 % 21919 60.05 194107 Illinois 740423 732824 99 7599 1 19351 53.02 37870 Indiana 338195 325700 96 12495 4 20188 55.31 16133 Iowa 146069 143774 98 2295 2 24286 66.54 5920 Kansas 170848 158454 93 12394 7 22242 60.94 7124 Michigan 1167610 1161142 99 6468 1 28067 76.89 41371 Minnesota 185983 184359 99 1624 1 37825 103.63 4874 Missouri 262787 249414 94 13373 6 12832 35.16 19437 Nebraska 69867 67904 97 1963 3 22271 61.02 3049 North Dakota 10749 10584 99 165 2 17154 47.00 617 Ohio 1014917 873584 86 141333 14 19613 53.74 44540 South Dakota 34152 33582 98 570 2 17787 48.73 1888 Wisconsin 360439 313366 87 47073 13 27771 76.08 11284 South 7442584 6990526 94 % 452058 6 % 15338 42.02 455756 Alabama 168989 165760 98 3229 2 7987 21.88 20753 Arkansas 133729 124513 93 9216 7 13341 36.55 9333 Delaware 87961 87253 99 707 1 17987 49.28 4851 District of Col 213716 212148 99 1568 1 21296 58.34 9962 Florida 1224933 1100655 90 124278 10 17327 47.47 63521 Georgia 560358 547490 98 12868 2 15933 43.65 34363 Kentucky 208706 198775 95 9931 5 16320 44.71 12180 Louisiana 316245 313463 99 2783 1 12304 33.71 25476 Maryland 520263 480880 92 39382 8 22247 60.95 21616 Mississippi 148852 143914 97 4938 3 11156 30.56 12900 North Carolina 756829 733775 97 23054 3 25303 69.32 28999 Oklahoma 198290 193567 98 4723 2 10601 29.04 18260 South Carolina 315539 277868 88 37671 12 13977 38.29 19880 Tennessee 350575 349177 100 1398 ... 22904 62.75 15245 Texas 1713935 1565214 91 148721 9 12215 33.47 128140 Virginia 476715 452358 95 24357 5 16306 44.67 27742 West Virginia 46949 43716 93 3233 7 17245 47.25 2535 West 5004632 4801972 96 % 202661 4 % 22032 60.36 217959 Alaska 116664 112350 96 4314 4 32415 88.81 3466 Arizona 418094 409167 98 8927 2 19091 52.30 21433 California 3031047 2918845 96 112202 4 21385 58.59 136492 Colorado 249833 234503 94 15330 6 21020 57.59 11156 Hawaii 87417 83921 96 3496 4 23318 63.88 3599 Idaho 56957 55017 97 1940 3 16277 44.60 3380 Montana 42448 41875 99 573 1 20782 56.94 2015 Nevada 121960 119026 98 2934 2 15370 42.11 7744 New Mexico 125602 123892 99 1710 1 29491 80.80 4201 Oregon 254330 253421 100 909 ... 31837 87.22 7960 Utah 113394 111808 99 1585 1 32361 88.66 3455 Washington 357862 311122 87 46740 13 26662 73.05 11669 Wyoming 29025 27024 93 2001 7 19456 53.30 1389 Note: Expenditures exclude adult community corrections, juvenile corrections, and probation and parole services. Inmate counts used to calculate operating expenditures per inmate were based on prisoners under the jurisdiction of State correctional authorities from June 30, 1995, to June 30, 1996. See Methodology for details. Detail may not add to totals because of rounding. . . . .Less than 1%. *See Methodology, page 15, for the estimation procedure. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Expenditures, fiscal year 1996 States spent $22.0 billion on prisons in FY 1996 State prison expenditures -- total State corrections minus probation, parole, juvenile justice, and community corrections activities --reached $22,033,214,000 in fiscal 1996. California had the largest State prison expenditure, a $3 billion annual payment, and North Dakota had the smallest State expenditure, $10.7 million (table 1). The largest State prison expenditures in FY 1996: California $3.0 billion New York 2.2 Texas 1.7 Florida 1.2 Michigan 1.2 The smallest State prison expenditures in FY 1996: North Dakota $10.7 million Wyoming 29.0 Vermont 33.5 South Dakota 34.2 New Hampshire 43.0 States spent approximately $94 of every $100 on current operations Two-thirds of the States spent 94% or more of their prison dollars on current operations, such as salaries, wages, fees, commissions, supplies, contractual services, and general maintenance activities. Oregon, Tennessee, and Vermont reported that nearly all of their funds designated for prisons went for current operations in FY 1996. Ohio spent the least (86%), followed by Washington and Wisconsin which spent 87%. The Nation's total operating expenditure for State prisons in FY 1996 ($20,737,888,000) divided by the average number of State prisoners incarcerated during the period (1,029,595), resulted in an estimated average operating expenditure per inmate of $20,142 per year, or $55 per day. See Methodology for a description of the estimated average daily inmate population for FY 1996. In 1990 the inflation-adjusted nationwide operating cost per inmate, as reported by State facility respondents, was $18,400, and in 1984 it was $16,300. Nearly half of all jurisdictions in 1996 had per-inmate costs in the $20,000 to $30,000 range. Operations were nearly twice as costly in the Northeast as in the South, and about a third higher in the Northeast than in the Midwest and West. Eight States, all but one of which was located in the South, had annual operating costs per inmate of less than $15,000, while seven States had annual costs of more than $30,000: States with below- FY 1996 $15,000 per inmate prison annual costs operating costs Alabama $ 7,987 Oklahoma 10,601 Mississippi 11,156 Texas 12,215 Louisiana 12,304 Missouri 12,832 Arkansas 13,341 South Carolina 13,977 States with above- $30,000 annual costs Minnesota $37,825 Rhode Island 35,739 Maine 33,711 Alaska 32,415 Utah 32,361 Connecticut 31,912 Oregon 31,837 Vermont 31,094 New Jersey 30,773 Note: All but Rhode Island, Connec- ticut, and New Jersey used a portion of prison expenditures to fund com- munity corrections. See page 14. Numerous factors were associated with State-by-State differences in prison costs. Cost-of-living, prevailing wage rates, geography, and a variety of other factors contributed to each State's costs. Measuring these elements was beyond the scope of this study. However, for a discussion of the variations in State correctional expenditures, see "Differences in prison costs." Capital expenditures Most States spent about $6 out of every $100 on prison capital projects States spent an average of $6 out of every $100 for new construction, renovations, major repairs, equipment, land, buildings, and other nonrecurring outlays during FY 1996. Less than 1% of total expenditures were allocated to capital projects in Oregon, Tennessee, and Vermont, compared to 14% in Ohio and 13% in Washington and Wisconsin. Slightly more than three-fifths of State capital outlays in FY 1996 went for building construction and renovation projects such as additions, replacements, and major alterations, including fees for the professional services of architects, engineers, appraisers and attorneys. In terms of capital outlays, nearly a quarter was spent on equipment purchases and installations, furnishings, office equipment, motor vehicles, and other devices having a useful life of more than 5 years. The remainder -- about a seventh of all capital funds -- was invested in land acquisitions, debt payments, and related costs (table 2). ---------------------------------------------------------------- Table 2. State prisons: Components of capital expenditures, fiscal year 1996 Capital expenditures (in 1,000's of dollars) Region and Land and jurisdiction Total Construction Equipment other capital expenditures Total $1295326 $808439 $301419 $185468 Northeast 393256 176622 36939 179695 Connecticut 22471 18363 4108 0 Maine 3507 3253 164 90 Massachusetts 5191 1763 3428 0 New Hampshire 541 219 322 0 New Jersey 12193 9470 2723 0 New York 271835 74921 17308 179605 Pennsylvania 76525 68192 8333 0 Rhode Island 913 440 473 0 Vermont 79 0 79 0 Midwest 247351 173658 69828 3864 Illinois 7599 1556 6043 0 Indiana 12495 1238 7393 3864 Iowa 2295 354 1941 0 Kansas 12394 9769 2625 0 Michigan 6468 0 6468 0 Minnesota 1624 808 816 0 Missouri 13373 288 13085 0 Nebraska 1963 633 1330 0 North Dakota 165 153 12 0 Ohio 141333 122065 19268 0 South Dakota 570 45 525 0 Wisconsin 47073 36750 10323 0 South 452058 323146 127836 1077 Alabama 3229 2066 1163 0 Arkansas 9216 6904 2311 0 Delaware 707 0 707 0 District of Col. 1568 0 1568 0 Florida 124278 99865 24228 185 Georgia 12868 1579 11290 0 Kentucky 9931 7175 2756 0 Louisiana 2783 381 2189 213 Maryland 39382 39382 0 0 Mississippi 4938 2190 2360 388 North Carolina 23054 4769 18236 49 Oklahoma 4723 793 3931 0 South Carolina 37671 32134 5537 0 Tennessee 1398 141 1257 0 Texas 148721 112709 35831 181 Virginia 24357 11224 13073 60 West Virginia 3233 1834 1399 0 West 202661 135013 66815 832 Alaska 4314 2775 1539 0 Arizona 8927 0 8927 0 California 112202 77667 34535 0 Colorado 15330 11565 3624 141 Hawaii 3496 3496 0 0 Idaho 1940 0 1940 0 Montana 573 0 573 0 Nevada 2934 137 2797 0 New Mexico 1710 0 1710 0 Oregon 909 270 639 0 Utah 1585 746 839 0 Washington 46740 36544 9505 691 Wyoming 2001 1813 188 0 ---------------------------------------------------------------- In Hawaii and Maryland all capital expenditures for FY 1996 were reported as construction and renovation costs, whereas in Arizona, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Michigan, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, and Vermont, equipment consumed the entire capital account. Land-related costs accounted for only a small share of most States' capital expenditures in 1996. In New York, however, these expenditures made up nearly two-thirds of the total and in Indiana, nearly a third. Operating expenditures About two-thirds of operating costs went for prison employee salaries, wages, and benefits Salaries and wages accounted for slightly more than half of total operating expenditures, nationwide; employee benefits, about a seventh; and other operating costs, approximately a third (table 3). ---------------------------------------------------------------- Table 3. State prisons: Components of operating expenditures, fiscal year 1996 Operating expenditures (1,000's of dollars) Other Region and Salaries Percent Percent operating Percent jurisdiction Total and wages of total Benefits ot total costs of total Total $20737888 $10774922 52% $3060939 15% $6902027 33% Northeast 4690704 2620003 56 741958 16 1328743 28 Connecticut 475367 270755 57 95000 20 109612 23 Maine 48206 22687 47 10284 21 15235 32 Massachusetts 304483 204905 67 10146 3 89433 29 New Hampshire 42429 24151 57 5942 14 12336 29 New Jersey 827115 413166 50 87610 11 326339 39 New York 1948752 1174315 60 367208 19 407228 21 Pennsylvania 902244 436195 48 142514 16 323535 36 Rhode Island 108683 55622 51 18093 17 34968 32 Vermont 33426 18207 54 5162 15 10057 30 Midwest 4254686 2205315 52 710882 17 1338489 31 Illinois 732824 438850 60 91341 12 202633 28 Indiana 325700 133473 41 50982 16 141244 43 Iowa 143774 81446 57 11220 8 51108 36 Kansas 158454 78024 49 13795 9 66635 42 Michigan 1161142 682644 59 298166 26 180332 16 Minnesota 184359 86103 47 28701 16 69555 38 Missouri 249414 124259 50 39764 16 85390 34 Nebraska 67904 35471 52 8659 13 23774 35 North Dakota 10584 5779 55 1700 16 3105 29 Ohio 873584 394243 45 112280 13 367062 42 South Dakota 33582 13550 40 3377 10 16655 50 Wisconsin 313366 131474 42 50896 16 130996 42 South 6990526 3480760 5 892937 13 2616829 37 Alabama 165760 87534 53 22084 13 56142 34 Arkansas 124513 57505 46 16308 13 50701 41 Delaware 87253 40705 47 13120 15 33428 38 District of Col. 212148 129034 61 20837 10 62277 29 Florida 1100655 535673 49 224957 20 340024 31 Georgia 547490 262930 48 105493 19 179067 33 Kentucky 198775 62513 31 21593 11 114669 58 Louisiana 313463 120317 38 21220 7 171926 55 Maryland 480880 235564 49 74749 16 170567 35 Mississippi 143914 60752 42 16726 12 66436 46 North Carolina 733775 358087 49 87126 12 288562 39 Oklahoma 193567 116642 60 32120 17 44805 23 South Carolina 277868 143777 52 45148 16 88943 32 Tennessee 349177 113826 33 30901 9 204450 59 Texas 1565214 885246 57 82815 5 597152 38 Virginia 452358 250681 55 70359 16 131318 29 West Virginia 43716 19974 46 7381 17 16361 37 West 4801972 2468844 51 715162 15 1617966 34 Alaska 112350 53560 48 20945 19 37845 34 Arizona 409167 192167 47 59573 15 157427 38 California 2918845 1588517 54 432436 15 897892 31 Colorado 234503 124044 53 25673 11 84786 36 Hawaii 83921 38666 46 19919 24 25336 30 Idaho 55017 26202 48 8981 16 19834 36 Montana 41875 18620 44 5342 13 17913 43 Nevada 119026 66722 56 18692 16 33612 28 New Mexico 123892 51631 42 21631 17 50629 41 Oregon 253421 83267 33 27215 11 142940 56 Utah 111808 44771 40 22188 20 44850 40 Washington 311122 168925 54 48113 15 94084 30 Wyoming 27024 11751 43 4455 16 10818 40 ---------------------------------------------------------------- The wide State-by-State variation in the distribution of operating expenditure components highlights the importance of considering all operating costs together when making comparisons between jurisdictions. For example, in Massachusetts prison employee salaries and wages accounted for 67% of the State's total operating expenditures and for about 60% of the expenditures in the District of Columbia, Oklahoma, New York, and Illinois. By contrast, in Kentucky, Oregon, and Tennessee about a third of total operating expenditures were allocated for prison employee salaries and wages. Like salaries, employee benefits varied from a high of 26% in Michigan to a low of 3% in Massachusetts. The other operating costs category ranged from as much as 59% of the total prison operating expenditure in Tennessee to as little as 16% in Michigan. Five core expenditures provide a prison cost profile Over a quarter of current operating expenses in State prisons in FY 1996 involved inmate medical care, food service, inmate programs, utilities, and transportation and travel expenses (table 4). ---------------------------------------------------------------- Table 4. State prison expenditures for medical care, food service, inmate programs, utilities, and transportation, fiscal year 1996 Expenditures (in 1,000's of dollars)* Region and Medical Food Inmate jurisdiction care service programs Utilities Transportation National estimate $2456300 $1112900 $1231100 $682028 $197000 Total, reporting States 2279228 1107672 1040806 682028 171602 Northeast 453243 203305 311520 154748 30878 Connecticut 44939 22967 . . . 16789 4130 Maine 3379 1437 . . . 2395 109 Massachusetts 39850 9406 . . . 8476 1914 New Hampshire 8325 2358 . . . 2274 217 New Jersey 61819 24956 . . . 26543 2980 New York 163454 70050 . . . 64025 19061 Pennsylvania 119522 65686 . . . 30675 . . . Rhode Island 8297 4903 . . . 2774 2329 Vermont 3658 1543 . . . 796 137 Midwest 394325 251933 156765 130959 32119 Illinois 48272 41928 . . . 26254 5615 Indiana . 16687 . . . 9198 1730 Iowa 8832 10972 . . . 4938 717 Kansas 16647 9750 . . . 4787 1441 Michigan 189812 65281 . . . 28828 17873 Minnesota . . . 5660 585 Missouri 24867 14887 11535 1562 Nebraska 3577 3083 . . . 1841 278 North Dakota 622 660 . . . 485 85 Ohio 78973 69717 . . . 26340 . . . South Dakota 4284 3219 . . . 905 146 Wisconsin 18439 15750 . . . 10187 2086 South 849313 366799 218523 259944 69153 Alabama 21535 6389 8091 1644 Arkansas 17972 7215 . . . 5858 637 Delaware 8256 6595 . . . 3948 2901 Dist. of Columbia 31804 14776 . . . 9496 4763 Florida 194594 81813 . . . 37213 24976 Georgia 83033 38961 . . . 24843 3714 Kentucky 16049 7155 . . . 6131 5534 Louisiana . . 10394 . . . 7862 . . . Maryland 37380 17594 . . . 19188 3064 Mississippi 15153 8468 . . . 5163 1143 North Carolina 76634 28151 . . . 22971 3250 Oklahoma 15027 7835 . . . 6446 1629 South Carolina 20336 9174 . . . 15391 2142 Tennessee 29346 23261 . . . 16126 2583 Texas 276826 65820 . . . 54169 8413 Virginia . . . 29998 . . . 14644 2334 West Virginia 5367 3201 . . . 2406 425 West 582348 285634 353997 136377 39453 Alaska 14066 5122 . . . 3857 1816 Arizona 39703 23797 . . . 12033 . . . California 378031 177614 . . . 78686 25565 Colorado 22176 14203 . . . 6537 2441 Hawaii 8125 7273 . . . 3302 162 Idaho 7128 3512 . . . 1455 369 Montana 4030 2100 . . . 805 362 Nevada 24621 6766 . . . 5305 . . . New Mexico 10264 6622 . . . 4014 589 Oregon 14463 10438 . . . 6245 2157 Utah 10868 4163 . . . 2936 1136 Washington 43140 22661 . . . 10445 4856 Wyoming 5734 1362 . . . 757 . . . Note: Figures include salaries or wages of correctional staff involved in the described activity. Detail may not add to total due to rounding. National estimates are based on ratio adjustments of total to covered inmate population. . . .Not able to separate from general operating expenditures. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Medical care States spent nearly $2.5 billion on prisoner medical and dental care in FY 1996, or about 12% of total prison operating expenditures (table 5). Outlays for medical services provided by full-time and part-time government staff and managed care and fee-for- service providers averaged $2,386 per inmate during the year, or $6.54 per day. By comparison, in 1995, the latest year with data, on average each U.S. resident spent $1,807 or $4.95 per day for his or her own health care. (Footnote: U.S. Health Care Financing Administration, Health Care Financing Review, fall 1996.) ---------------------------------------------------------------- Table 5. State prison expenditures for inmate medical care, fiscal year 1996 Medical expenditures Percent of Region and annual Per inmate jurisdiction Total expenditure Per year Per day National estimate $2456300000 11.8 % $2386 $6.54 Total, reporting States $2279228201 Northeast 453243191 9.7 % 2802 7.68 Connecticut 44938650 9.5 3017 8.27 Maine 3378645 7.0 2363 6.47 Massachusetts 39850000 13.1 3403 9.32 New Hampshire 8325000 19.6 4089 11.20 New Jersey 61819000 7.5 2300 6.30 New York 163454415 8.4 2384 6.53 Pennsylvania 119522000 13.2 3718 10.18 Rhode Island 8297251 7.6 2728 7.48 Vermont 3658230 10.9 3403 9.32 Midwest 394324659 10.5 % 2278 6.24 Illinois 48272000 6.6 1275 3.49 Indiana - - - - - Iowa 8832000 6.1 1492 4.09 Kansas 16647000 10.5 2337 6.40 Michigan 189812400 16.3 4588 12.57 Minnesota . . . - - - - - - Missouri 24866807 10.0 % 1279 3.51 Nebraska 3576884 5.3 1173 3.21 North Dakota 622000 5.9 1008 2.76 Ohio 78972713 9.0 1773 4.86 South Dakota 4283590 12.8 2269 6.22 Wisconsin 18439265 5.9 1634 4.48 South 849312674 13.6 % 2110 5.78 Alabama 21535000 13.0 1038 2.84 Arkansas 17972348 14.4 1926 5.28 Delaware 8256324 9.5 1702 4.66 District of Columbia 31804000 15.0 3193 8.75 Florida 194593820 17.7 3063 8.39 Georgia 83033435 15.2 2416 6.62 Kentucky 16049000 8.1 1318 3.61 Louisiana - - - - - - Maryland 37379866 7.8 1729 4.74 Mississippi 15153000 10.5 1175 3.22 North Carolina 76634451 10.4 2643 7.24 Oklahoma 15027000 7.8 823 2.25 South Carolina 20336000 7.3 1023 2.80 Tennessee 29346000 8.4 1925 5.27 Texas 276825806 17.7 2160 5.92 Virginia . . . - - - - - - West Virginia 5366624 12.3 2117 5.80 West 582347677 12.1 % 2672 7.32 Alaska 14066000 12.5 4058 11.12 Arizona 39702600 9.7 1852 5.08 California 378031000 13.0 2770 7.59 Colorado 22175794 9.5 1988 5.45 Hawaii 8124583 9.7 2257 6.18 Idaho 7128000 13.0 2109 5.78 Montana 4030000 9.6 2000 5.48 Nevada 24620666 20.7 3179 8.71 New Mexico 10264100 8.3 2443 6.69 Oregon 14462949 5.7 1817 4.98 Utah 10868000 9.7 3146 8.62 Washington 43139853 13.9 3697 10.13 Wyoming 5734132 21.2 4128 11.31 Note: Figures include salaries and wages of correctional staff involved in the described activity. . . .Not able to separate from general operating expenditures. --Not calculable. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Correctional systems face a variety of factors influencing the cost of inmate medical care. Some prison systems may be making up for the inadequate care of chronic disorders among the prisoners before they were admitted. Some systems are in States where everyone pays above average medical costs. Some systems are in States with high incidence of risky behaviors that cause disease. Some States may have an exceptional number of high-cost medical cases, such as AIDS or kidney failures. How a State chooses to staff or pay for its medical care and how a State distributes its specialized care among facilities also influence expenditures. In FY 1996 medical costs accounted for about 14% of the total prison operating expenditures in the South, 12% in the West, 11% in the Midwest, and 10% in the Northeast. Total annual medical expenditures ranged from $378 million in California to $622,000 in North Dakota. Six States had daily medical costs per inmate above $10: Michigan, $12.57; Wyoming, $11.31; New Hampshire, $11.20; Alaska, $11.12; Pennsylvania, $10.18; and Washington, $10.13. Four were below $3 a day: Oklahoma, $2.25; North Dakota, $2.76; South Carolina, $2.80; and Alabama, $2.84. Food service At $1.1 billion, nationwide, outlays for State prison food services during FY 1996 were slightly less than half as large as the costs for medical care (table 6). In absolute terms, California spent the most to feed its inmates ($178 million), and North Dakota spent the least ($660,000). South Dakota allocated the largest percentage of its operating expenditure on food service (10%), and Maine and New Jersey, the smallest percentage (3%). ---------------------------------------------------------------- Table 6. State prison expenditures for food service, fiscal year 1996 Food service expenditures Percent of Region and annual operating Per inmate jurisdiction Total expenditure Per year Per day National estimate $1112900000 5.4 % $1081 $2.96 Total, reporting States 1107671730 Northeast 203305419 4.3 % 1257 3.44 Connecticut 22966834 4.8 1542 4.22 Maine 1437438 3.0 1005 2.75 Massachusetts 9405930 3.1 803 2.20 New Hampshire 2358000 5.6 1158 3.17 New Jersey 24956000 3.0 928 2.54 New York 70049869 3.6 1022 2.80 Pennsylvania 65686000 7.3 2043 5.60 Rhode Island 4902784 4.5 1612 4.42 Vermont 1542564 4.6 1435 3.93 Midwest 251932939 6.2 % 1331 3.65 Illinois 41928000 5.7 1107 3.03 Indiana 16686967 5.1 1034 2.83 Iowa 10972000 7.6 1853 5.08 Kansas 9750000 6.2 1369 3.75 Michigan 65280900 5.6 1578 4.32 Minnesota ... - - - - - - Missouri 14886809 6.0 766 2.10 Nebraska 3083029 4.5 1011 2.77 North Dakota 660000 6.2 1070 2.93 Ohio 69716713 8.0 1565 4.29 South Dakota 3218839 9.6 1705 4.67 Wisconsin 15749682 5.0 1396 3.82 South 366799099 5.2 % 805 2.20 Alabama 6389000 3.9 308 0.84 Arkansas 7214757 5.8 773 2.12 Delaware 6595000 7.6 1360 3.72 District of Columbia 14776000 7.0 1483 4.06 Florida 81812750 7.4 1288 3.53 Georgia 38961177 7.1 1134 3.11 Kentucky 7155000 3.6 587 1.61 Louisiana 10394299 3.3 408 1.12 Maryland 17593721 3.7 814 2.23 Mississippi 8468000 5.9 656 1.80 North Carolina 28150613 3.8 971 2.66 Oklahoma 7835493 4.0 429 1.18 South Carolina 9174000 3.3 461 1.26 Tennessee 23261000 6.7 1526 4.18 Texas 65819678 4.2 514 1.41 Virginia 29998000 6.6 1081 2.96 West Virginia 3200611 7.3 1263 3.46 West 285634273 5.9 % 1310 3.59 Alaska 5122000 4.6 1478 4.05 Arizona 23797400 5.8 1110 3.04 California 177614000 6.1 1301 3.57 Colorado 14203242 6.1 1273 3.49 Hawaii 7272994 8.7 2021 5.54 Idaho 3512000 6.4 1039 2.85 Montana 2100000 5.0 1042 2.86 Nevada 6766138 5.7 874 2.39 New Mexico 6621900 5.3 1576 4.32 Oregon 10437555 4.1 1311 3.59 Utah 4163257 3.7 1205 3.30 Washington 22661351 7.3 1942 5.32 Wyoming 1362436 5.0 981 2.69 Note: Figures include salaries or wages of correctional staff involved in the descr --Not calculable. . . .Not able to separate from general operating expenditures. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Overall, State prison systems spent about $2.96 per day on inmate food service. In the West ($3.59), Midwest ($3.65), and Northeast ($3.44) average costs were slightly higher than in the South ($2.20) where prison farm produce and other inmate-generated measures may have helped to reduce food costs. The highest daily State expenditure for food service was in Pennsylvania ($5.60 per inmate), nearly 7 times greater than that in Alabama, which had the lowest daily food cost per inmate ($0.84). Inmate programs States spent approximately $1.2 million in FY 1996 on inmate programs involving academic and vocational training, substance abuse awareness and treatment programs, religious activities, parenting, job search preparation, life skills training, recreation and exercise, and related activities (table 7). This amount was slightly more than for food service and equal to about 6% of the Nation's total State prison operating expenditure. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Table 7. State prison expenditures for inmate programs, fiscal year 1996 Inmate program expenditures* Percent of Region and annual operating Per inmate jurisdiction Total expenditure Per year Per day National estimate $1231100000 5.9% $1196 $3.28 Total, reporting States 1040806002 Northeast 311519992 6.7 1943 5.32 Midwest 156765236 4.3 989 2.71 South 218523400 4.1 634 1.74 West 353997374 7.7 1712 4.69 Note: Programs include work activities such as prison industries and facility support services, educational activities like academic and vocational training, counseling activities like substance abuse treatment and employment skills training, and recreation and exercise activities. Figures include salaries and wages of correctional staff involved in the described activity. *Program expenditures are underreported. Some States reported expenditures for selected programs only. Other States were unable to separate program expenditures from general operating costs. A national estimate was calculated, adjusting for nonreporting. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Reporting of inmate program expenditures was too uneven to permit State-by-State presentation. About a fourth of the States could not separate inmate program spending from general operating costs. Jurisdictions that could report separate numbers did not always know the total outlays because other agencies met some of the costs. Some State health departments may have provided mental health counseling and substance abuse treatment. Some State departments of education may have partially defrayed the costs of teachers for GED classes or other academic or vocational training. Utilities State prison utility costs totaled $682 million in FY 1996, or about 3.3% of total prison operating expenditures (table 8). Utilities were the only core prison cost which all State respondents could report completely. The category includes gas and electricity for heat and air conditioning, cooking, and lighting as well as water and sewerage service. Utilities do not include telephone service. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Table 8. State prison expenditures for utilities, fiscal year 1996 Expenditures for utilities Percent of annual Region and operating Per inmate jurisdiction Total expenditure Per year Per day Total $682028208 3.3 % $662 $1.81 Northeast 154748268 3.3 % 957 2.62 Connecticut 16788808 3.5 1127 3.09 Maine 2395334 5.0 1675 4.59 Massachusetts 8476416 2.8 724 1.98 New Hampshire 2274000 5.4 1117 3.06 New Jersey 26543000 3.2 988 2.71 New York 64025452 3.3 934 2.56 Pennsylvania 30675000 3.4 954 2.61 Rhode Island 2773903 2.6 912 2.50 Vermont 796355 2.4 741 2.03 Midwest 130958795 3.1 % 675 1.85 Illinois 26254000 3.6 693 1.90 Indiana 9197903 2.8 570 1.56 Iowa 4938000 3.4 834 2.29 Kansas 4787000 3.0 672 1.84 Michigan 28828300 2.5 697 1.91 Minnesota 5660365 3.1 1161 3.18 Missouri 11535160 4.6 593 1.63 Nebraska 1841023 2.7 604 1.65 North Dakota 485000 4.6 786 2.15 Ohio 26339792 3.0 591 1.62 South Dakota 905470 2.7 480 1.31 Wisconsin 10186782 3.3 903 2.47 South 259944333 3.7 % 570 1.56 Alabama 8091000 4.9 390 1.07 Arkansas 5857501 4.7 628 1.72 Delaware 3947900 4.5 814 2.23 District of Col. 9496000 4.5 953 2.61 Florida 37212649 3.4 586 1.61 Georgia 24842844 4.5 723 1.98 Kentucky 6131000 3.1 503 1.38 Louisiana 7861624 2.5 309 0.85 Maryland 19187647 4.0 888 2.43 Mississippi 5163000 3.6 400 1.10 North Carolina 22971090 3.1 792 2.17 Oklahoma 6446236 3.3 353 0.97 South Carolina 15391000 5.5 774 2.12 Tennessee 16126000 4.6 1058 2.90 Texas 54168689 3.5 423 1.16 Virginia 14644153 3.2 528 1.45 West Virginia 2406000 5.5 949 2.60 West 136376812 2.8 % 626 1.71 Alaska 3857000 3.4 1113 3.05 Arizona 12032700 2.9 561 1.54 California 78686000 2.7 576 1.58 Colorado 6536832 2.8 586 1.61 Hawaii 3302012 3.9 917 2.51 Idaho 1455000 2.6 430 1.18 Montana 805397 1.9 400 1.10 Nevada 5305000 4.5 685 1.88 New Mexico 4013900 3.2 955 2.62 Oregon 6245185 2.5 785 2.15 Utah 2935741 2.6 850 2.33 Washington 10445382 3.4 895 2.45 Wyoming 756663 2.8 545 1.49 Note: Figures include salaries and wages of correctional staff involved in the described activity. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Prison utility expenditures varied across geographic areas: Average annual costs per inmate were highest in the Northeast ($957), followed by the Midwest ($675), the West ($626), and the South ($570). Daily utility costs ranged from $4.59 per inmate in Maine and $3.18 in Minnesota to $0.85 in Louisiana and $0.97 in Oklahoma. Transportation Inmate transportation and staff travel activities cost State prisons systems $197 million in FY 1996, or about 1% of their total operating expenditures (table 9). ---------------------------------------------------------------- Table 9. State prison expenditures for transportation, fiscal year 1996 Expenditures for transportation Percent of Region and annual operating Per inmate jurisdiction Total expenditure Per year Per day National estimate $197000000 0.9 % $191 $0.52 Total, reporting State 171601857 Northeast 30878102 0.8 % 238 0.65 Connecticut 4130210 0.9 277 0.76 Maine 108753 0.2 76 0.21 Massachusetts 1914496 0.6 163 0.45 New Hampshire 217000 0.5 107 0.29 New Jersey 2980000 0.4 111 0.30 New York 19061438 1.0 278 0.76 Pennsylvania . . . -- -- -- Rhode Island 2329266 2.1 766 2.10 Vermont 136939 0.4 127 0.35 Midwest 32118687 0.9 % 215 0.59 Illinois 5615000 0.8 148 0.41 Indiana 1729769 0.5 107 0.29 Iowa 717000 0.5 121 0.33 Kansas 1441000 0.9 202 0.55 Michigan 17873300 1.5 432 1.18 Minnesota 585372 0.3 120 0.33 Missouri 1562215 0.6 80 0.22 Nebraska 278000 0.4 91 0.25 North Dakota 85000 0.8 138 0.38 Ohio . . . -- -- -- South Dakota 146000 0.4 77 0.21 Wisconsin 2086031 0.7 185 0.51 South 69152544 1.0 % 161 0.44 Alabama 1644000 1.0 79 0.22 Arkansas 637299 0.5 68 0.19 Delaware 2900900 3.3 598 1.64 District of Columbia 4763000 2.2 478 1.31 Florida 24975969 2.3 393 1.08 Georgia 3713954 0.7 108 0.30 Kentucky 5534000 2.8 454 1.24 Louisiana . . . -- -- -- Maryland 3064024 0.6 142 0.39 Mississippi 1143000 0.8 89 0.24 North Carolina 3250167 0.4 112 0.31 Oklahoma 1628852 0.8 89 0.24 South Carolina 2142000 0.8 108 0.30 Tennessee 2583000 0.7 169 0.46 Texas 8412959 0.5 66 0.18 Virginia 2334291 0.5 84 0.23 West Virginia 425129 1.0 168 0.46 West 39452524 0.9 % 211 0.58 Alaska 1816000 1.6 524 1.44 Arizona . . . -- -- -- California 25565000 0.9 187 0.51 Colorado 2440930 1.0 219 0.60 Hawaii 161606 0.2 45 0.12 Idaho 369000 0.7 109 0.30 Montana 362494 0.9 180 0.49 Nevada . . . -- -- -- New Mexico 588900 0.5 140 0.38 Oregon 2156832 0.9 271 0.74 Utah 1135863 1.0 329 0.90 Washington 4855899 1.6 416 1.14 Wyoming . . . -- -- -- Note: Figures include salaries and wages of correctional staff involved in the described activity. . . .Not able to separate from general operating expenditures. --Not calculable. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Approximately half of all reported transportation and travel money associated with State prisons in FY 1996 was spent in California, Florida, New York, and Michigan, which reported prison transportation bills of $25.6 million, $25 million, $19.1 million, and $17.9 million, respectively. Reported annual transportation and travel expenditures per inmate in FY 1996 ranged from $766 in Rhode Island and $598 in Delaware to $45 in Hawaii and $66 in Texas. The Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) division, according to Rhode Island's Department of Corrections, "is responsible for the transportation of the adult and juvenile populations to court facilities, and transports inmates to and from other states.... The ACI functions both as a prison system for offenders sentenced to incarceration and as a statewide jail facility for individuals awaiting trial or arraignment..." Like Rhode Island, Delaware operates a combined jail/prison system with added cost for jail inmate movement. Differences in prison costs Numerous factors associated with State-by-State differences in prison costs Much of the variation between States in the cost of operating prisons fell outside the control of State administrators: Differences in the cost of living, variation in prevailing wage rates, climate, geography, and a variety of other human and natural factors contributed significantly to each State's prison cost equation. Measuring these elements was beyond the scope of this study. However, a number of factors related to correctional operations were possible to analyze. Inmate-to-staff ratios Inmate-to-staff ratios had a clear relationship with operating costs per inmate. This relationship was tied to employee salaries and wages that accounted for more than half of total State prison operating costs. High inmate-to-total-staff ratios were most common in States reporting low average costs per inmate, and low inmate-to-total staff ratios predominated in States with high average annual costs per inmate. States with the lowest inmate-to-total-staff ratios: Inmates per Operating cost employee per inmate per day Maine 1.5 92 Vermont 1.8 85 Minnesota 1.9 104 New Mexico 1.9 81 New Hampshire 1.9 57 States with the highest inmate-to-total-staff ratios: Inmates per Operating cost employee per inmate per day Alabama 6.4 22 Oklahoma 4.7 29 Nevada 4.7 42 Louisiana 4.6 34 Mississippi 4.4 31 Similar patterns were observed between inmate-to-security-staff ratios and average costs per inmate. High inmate-to-security-staff ratios were most common in States with low average costs per inmate, and low inmate-to-security-staff ratios were most likely to prevail in jurisdictions with high average costs per inmate. States with the lowest inmate-to-security-staff ratios: Inmates per Operating cost security employee per inmate per day Vermont 2.3 $85 Maine 2.4 92 Minnesota 3.0 104 New Mexico 3.0 81 New Hampshire 3.0 57 States with the highest inmate-to-security-staff ratios: Inmates per Operating cost security employee per inmate per day Oklahoma 8.5 $29 Nevada 7.1 42 California 7.0 59 Oregon 6.6 87 Ohio 6.1 54 Average number of inmates per facility The overall pattern between average number of inmates per facility and costs per inmate suggests that a small amount of cost savings resulted from the operation of larger capacity prisons. Average facility size showed some relationship with average annual operating costs per inmate: Eight States with annual costs per inmate of less than $15,000 reported average numbers of inmates per facility of 400 or greater, including 2 jurisdictions with average prison sizes greater than 1,300. By contrast, 7 States with average costs per inmate of $30,000 or more had average numbers of inmates per facility of less than 800, including 2 with average of less than 200. In the remaining 36 jurisdictions, which had intermediate costs per inmate, there was wide variation in the average number of inmates per facility and no clear relationship between average facility size and cost per inmate. Transfer payments Transfer payments include intergovernmental monies from one government to another, including grants-in-aid, fiscal assistance, and amounts for services performed by one government for another, such as payments for boarding prisoners. Transfer payments also refer to intra-governmental payments from one department or agency to another within the same government. Some jurisdictions provide transfer payments on a reimbursable basis. In Washington, for example, all transfer money received for employer contributions to prison employee benefits is repaid from department of corrections funds. Nearly two-thirds of the Nation's State departments of corrections received and applied some transfer payments to their adult institutional corrections accounts in FY 1996. Departments of corrections in the South received about 8% of their total expenditures from transfer payments, compared to about 4% in other regions. A fifth or more of total prison expenditures in four States came from transfer payments: Tennessee, 25%; Louisiana, 24%; and Colorado and Oregon, 20% each. Eight States used transfer payments to meet a portion of salary and wage obligations; 15 States used them for part of employee benefits; and 33 States used them for other operating costs: Transfer payments as a percent of salaries and wages Ohio 11% Arizona 4 Alabama 4 Oklahoma 4 Colorado 4 North Carolina 3 Texas 1 Connecticut 1 Transfer payments as a percent of employee benefits Washington 100% Colorado 68 Montana 55 Maine 53 North Carolina 45 Wisconsin 44 Oregon 44 8 other States with less than 40 38% to 1% Transfer payments as a percent of other operating costs Louisiana 43% Tennessee 42 Mississippi 41 Kansas 40 New Jersey 38 28 other States with less than 40% 34% to 1% Facility security level The average security level at which a State's prisons operated showed no clear relationship with average operating costs per inmate: Both very high ($30,000 and higher) and very low (less than $15,000) annual operating costs per inmate were reported in States having relatively large percentages of facilities rated as maximum security. By contrast, moderate annual operating costs per inmate of $15,000 to $25,000 were most common in States with relatively large percentages of facilities rated as minimum security. States in the South operated the largest percentage of maximum security facilities (23%), yet the average operating cost per inmate in the South was the lowest of any region ($15,338). In the Northeast, where costs per inmate were among the highest ($28,966), only 16% of the facilities were rated as maximum security. In the Midwest, however, where operating costs per inmate were in the middle range averaging $21,919, over half of all prisons were rated as minimum security. Community corrections Most States budgeted and paid for nonresidential community corrections expenditures out of separate accounts from prison operations. As a result, community corrections spending was largely outside the scope of this study. However, six States - - Alaska, Maine, Minnesota, Oregon, Utah, and Vermont - - each used a portion of prison expenditures to fund community corrections activities, a practice which affected comparisons with other jurisdictions' spending to a greater or lesser extent, depending on the proportion of the prison budget affected. Comparison of Minnesota's expenditures with other jurisdictions was the most affected because it allocated 38% of its prison expenditure in FY 1996 for community corrections. Vermont's prison outlay was also clearly affected, as it allocated 31% of its prison spending to community corrections. It was possible, however, to delete the entire community corrections outlays from these two States' total expenditures so that their prison spending could be appropriately compared to that of other States. Comparisons of the operating costs of Alaska, Maine, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Utah with other States were not appreciably affected, as less than 2% of each of these jurisdiction's prisons expenditures were allocated to community corrections. BJS asked government finance specialists at the U.S. Census Bureau to identify each State's corrections function codes reported in the FY 1996 Survey of Government Finances and enter this information into a data base, using a standardized format developed by BJS. This extraction procedure included both inter and intragovernmental transfer payments, and clarified missing, repetitious, and out-of-range data items. State department of corrections budget officers and central office accounting specialists were also contacted and asked to review the originally reported numbers, a process which for some States involved numerous phone calls and revisions of the original figures. They helped Census Bureau staff to eliminate duplicate reports, interpret expenditure classification codes, and understand organizational functions and accounting procedures. Budget officials were especially helpful in adding expenditures for central office staff who performed prison activities, and in removing expenditures pertaining to probation and parole services, juvenile corrections, and nonresidential community corrections -- areas that were outside the adult prison function. After each jurisdiction's designated financial reviewer agreed with its final numbers, Census Bureau staff completed the data revision phase of the project with a 100% response rate for total, operating, and capital expenditures. The response rates for the five core expenditure groups were as follows: Utilities, 100%; food service, 98%; medical care, 92%; transportation, 88%; and inmate programs, 76%. To analyze prison costs in relation to other factors, BJS augmented the completed data set with variables from the 1995 Census of State and Federal Correctional Facilities, including facility size, facility security level, and staff characteristics. Contextual background for Fiscal 1996 total State corrections expenditures and expenditures for State prisons came from separate censuses: Censuses of Government Finances for FY 1985 through FY 1995 (U.S. Bureau of the Census) and the 1984 and 1990 Censuses of State Correctional Facilities (BJS). Data limitations A variety of factors made expenditures reported for fiscal year 1996 not completely comparable with those of earlier years. Fiscal year 1996 State expenditures were reported by State budget officials, based on categories established by the Census Bureau's annual Survey of Government Finances. Fiscal year 1996 and 1990 Federal expenditures were reported by the Budget Execution Branch of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, using internal accounting procedures. State expenditures for 1984 and 1990 were reported by correctional facility respondents. Actual State prison expenditures in 1984 and 1990 may have been higher than published numbers because of underreporting of employee benefits, interagency transfer payments, and other expenses. Adjusting for inflation In this report, State government expenditures for FY 1985 to FY 1995 were inflation-adjusted in 1996 constant dollars, as appropriate for government spending. The following annual chain-type price indexes for the gross domestic product were employed as divisors and unadjusted expenditures as dividends to produce inflation-adjusted expenditures in 1996 constant dollars: Price indexes Year (1996 base) 1984 0.69152787835 1985 0.71967776973 1986 0.73850407673 1987 0.76955104996 1988 0.79217958001 1989 0.81924330196 1990 0.85906951484 1991 0.88577118030 1992 0.90514120203 1993 0.92767921796 1994 0.94904055033 1995 0.97972483707 1996 1.00000000000 These indexes were developed by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and are presented in Economic Report of the President, February, 1998, Table B-7. Underreporting Correctional expenditures shown in figure 1 and the appendix table may be underreported. Discussions between State budget officials and Bureau of the Census specialists in government finances who collected the data for this report produced a revised nationwide figure for State prisons in FY 1996 of $22 billion, an amount 5.4% higher than the original total reported in the 1996 Survey of Government Finances. Various factors accounted for the revised FY 1996 State corrections spending figure, including adjustments for central office staff assigned to prison, probation, parole and juvenile activities; elimination of duplicate fund reporting; and access to final numbers following State submission of preliminary numbers in the Census of Government Finances. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Appendix table. Surveys of government finances, 1985-96: Expenditures for State corrections and for State prisons in 1996 constant dollars Annual expenditures Total State corrections State prisons Fiscal Total Cost per Total Cost per year (in 1,000's) U.S. resident (in 1,000's) U.S. resident 1985 $12743275 $53 $9624142 $40 1986 14584557 60 10958736 45 1987* 15208376 63 11471160 47 1988 16792796 68 13004578 53 1989 18330974 74 14153961 57 1990 20099048 81 15563419 62 1991 21720883 86 16948133 67 1992* 22228332 87 16989156 67 1993 22425272 87 17210562 67 1994 24376972 94 18694604 72 1995 26608530 101 20511245 78 1996 27324135 103 20893235 79 Note: See Methodology for discussion of inflation adjustment factors. Correctional expenditures may be underreported. Detailed interviews of State budget officials by the Bureau of the Census for this report produced a revised estimate of $22 billion for FY 1996, 5.4% higher than the $20.9 billion reported in the 1996 Survey of Government Finances. *The Bureau of the Census conducted full censuses of State and local finances in 1987 and 1992. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Estimating average daily population Inmate population estimates for FY 1996 were based on respondent reports from the BJS National Prisoner Statistics (NPS-1) series. To account for variable growth during the year, the State totals as of June 30, 1996, were added to those as of December 31, 1995, and then averaged. Then the totals as of December 31, 1995, were added to those as of June 30, 1995, and averaged. Finally, the two averages were averaged to derive the estimated inmate populations for each State. U.S. resident population Sources for U.S. population statistics used to calculate costs per U.S. resident include the following U.S. Bureau of the Census publications: For 1985, Estimates of the Population, by Type: April, 1980 to July 1, 1990-Series P-25, No 1064; for 1990 to 1995, U.S. Estimates by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 1990 - Series PPL-41; for 1996, Resident Population - Estimates by Age, Sex, Race and Hispanic Origin, consistent with the 1990 Decennial Census, as enumerated. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau of Justice Statistics U.S. Department of Justice August 1999, NCJ 172211 Jan M. Chaiken, Ph.D. Director James J. Stephan wrote this report and coordinated development of the project database. Allen J. Beck supervised the project development and the writing of the report. Laura M. Maruschak and Todd D. Minton provided statistical assistance. Tom Hester produced and edited the report, assisted by Ida Hines. Jayne Robinson prepared the reported for final printing. Pamela Butler, the U.S. Bureau of the Census, coordinated the data extraction process from the FY 1996 Survey of Government Finances, verified the information reported by State budget and corrections officials, and prepared State-by-State documentation, under the general direction of Stephanie Brown. Governments Division Finance staff assisted in compiling and reviewing the extracted data. ---------------------------------------------------------------- end of file th 8/20/99