SC prisons asking lawmakers for millions of dollars for security upgrades
More than a year and a half after seven inmates were killed in a South Carolina prison — one of the most deadly prison riots in the U.S. in the last quarter century — state Department of Corrections officials are requesting more than $100 million for prison security upgrades.
In the department’s annual budget request, which totaled more than $315 million and was released Friday, officials detailed the need for millions of dollars to replace broken or easily defeated locks, purchase safety vests and equipment for officers and acquire new equipment to detect cell phones and other electronics.
The request underscores the state prison system’s dire need for increased security and higher staffing levels, which overwhelmingly causes issues carrying out many of the department’s basic functions.
But the Department of Corrections has long struggled to obtain funding to deal with the myriad issues it faces on a regular basis, a ten-month long investigation by The State into the state’s prisons system showed. South Carolina historically spent less per inmate than other states, which can cause chronic issues to build up over time, according to data from the Southern Legislative Conference.
This time around, Corrections officials also asked state lawmakers for more than $26 million in pay raises meant to alleviate chronic understaffing at S.C. prisons. Department officials ranked that request as Corrections’ “first priority.”
The budget request detailed a plan to raise pay for officers and food personnel by $750. Raises were also requested for medical and dental staff and officers in the department’s internal police force, among other positions. The request also includes a 10% pay hike for medical and mental health administration.
Department officials also asked for about $4.59 million to expand the department’s gang enforcement security team and add 43 new positions. Corrections officials wrote that the expansion would be “important as the inmate population changes into a more violent, gang founded population.”
That request would also fund a $2 million system that could intercept and analyze communications coming from contraband technology within the prison.
The Department of Corrections has long struggled with contraband cell phones in state prisons. The devices were blamed for the deadly riot at Lee Correctional Institution and, more recently, a $20 million drug trafficking scheme run from inside prisons.
The Corrections Department has historically received only a fraction of the money it requests from lawmakers, who also are considering funding requests from more than 100 other agencies and programs.
Last year the Department of Corrections asked the state for $40 million for security and facility upgrades. That would have included automatic locks for cell doors, which could prevent dozens of deaths in case of a fire.
In the end, legislators only allocated $10 million in the current budget, forcing the department to pick and chose which security upgrades it could afford.
On top of its security issues, the Corrections Department also struggles to fund its medical system. Currently, the department has to dip into leftover staffing funds to pay for inmates’ medical treatment that isn’t fully funded by state lawmakers, department officials testified earlier this year.
In their latest budget request, Corrections officials asked for $12 million more each year to help pay overtime costs for officers at the state’s medium- and maximum-security prisons.
In the current budget, the Legislature did try to address pay inequities for medical and mental health staffers employed by the department, allocating $1.25 million to help boost retention.
But department officials are requesting even more this year, requesting pay raises for medical staff and asking for lawmakers to approve about 160 more positions in that area. The new hires —which would work on medical, addiction recovery and mental health cases — would cost the state an estimated $21.6 million each year, according to the budget request.
Note: This story has been corrected to reflect that the department requested a 10% pay raise for the agency’s medical administration. A previous version of the story indicated that raise would be for the agency’s general administration.
This story was originally published November 15, 2019 at 2:22 PM.
