Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2008

Independent Corrections audit sought

COLUMBIA — The American Civil Liberties Union called Tuesday for the National Institute of Corrections to independently audit the South Carolina Corrections Department.

The request comes after the Legislative Audit Council canceled its plans for a Corrections Department workers survey that agency director Jon Ozmint had criticized in an e-mail and newsletter.

The ACLU’s letter requesting the federal review went to Gov. Mark Sanford because the Corrections Department is under his control. Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer said the governor is considering the request, but no decision has been made.

Corrections spokesman Josh Gelinas said the ACLU’s request isn’t out of line with what the prison agency has wanted for months

When the council began working on the audit, Gelinas said the department encouraged it to get independent experts familiar with prison operations and specifically encouraged the council to work with the National Institute of Corrections, a U.S./ Department of Justice agency that gives state prisons technical assistance.

Graham Boyd, the state ACLU interim executive director, said that Ozmint should ask for a review by the institute. Technically, the request would have to come from the agency head, not the governor.

“I think what this episode points out is there’s a political logjam at the moment. Each side is pointing fingers at the other,” Boyd said. “Meanwhile, nobody’s looking into the problems at the prison system.”

In a June 17 e-mail mentioning the survey, Ozmint told prison workers it “is easy and tempting to blame your immediate superiors, your senior leadership or this agency for low pay, low staffing, crowded prisons and insufficient equipment.”

But he said legislators control prison spending. In the newsletter, Ozmint said the survey was an attempt to blame prison administrators for problems.

Legislative Audit Council director George Schroeder dropped the council’s planned survey, which was to be part of the prisons review, after Ozmint’s criticism.

Schroeder cited federal standards that say audit organizations should be free of impairments to independence, including pressure from managers or employees.

He hopes the audit process isn’t tainted.

“We hope that that’s not the case and we’re attempting to work with the agency so we can get our job done,” he said. The report should be completed by February.

Schroeder said a review by the institute should not interfere with his audit, but it can be an added burden for the Corrections Department.

A state Senate panel had begun reviewing agency operations amid questions about lawsuits, the sexual assault of an employee, and use of prison labor and equipment for fishing and hunting trips. Instead of acting on the information, senators turned to the Legislative Audit Council for an independent review.

Sawyer, the governor’s spokesman, said the council has always done great work. But he said a review needs to look at money as well as agency management.

Problems at the prison agency show the Legislature consistently failing put enough money into Corrections and then blaming the director when things don’t work out, Sawyer said.