Corrections and Community Supervision, Department of

Agency Web Site: http://www.doccs.ny.gov/

Mission

The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision is responsible for providing services that offenders need in safe and secure facilities, preparing offenders for release, and ensuring they receive appropriate monitoring and support while under community supervision. The goal of the Department is to enhance public safety by ensuring the successful completion of an offender’s sentence in order to lower the risk of reoffending.

Budget Highlights

The Executive Budget recommends $2.833 billion for the Department ($2.627 billion in the General Fund; $15 million in Capital Funds; and $191 million in Other Funds), reflecting a decrease of $280 million from SFY 2014. This decrease is primarily the result of a $295 million decrease in capital appropriations. As the agency will continue to have sufficient capital appropriations available from prior years, minimal new capital funding is sought in the Executive Budget.

General Fund support for State Operations increases by $15 million, reflecting the net result of $35.5 million in general salary increases, $3.8 million in support of updated policies and programs regarding supervision of inmates in Special Housing Units, $5.7 million for the increased cost of pharmaceuticals, and $30 million in savings from the closure of four prisons.

To realign the prison system’s capacity with continuing declines in the offender population and to achieve recurring savings for taxpayers, the Executive Budget reflects the closure of four prisons as previously announced in July 2013. The closures are expected to reduce capacity by more than 1,300 beds, and will save $30 million annually. The combined annual savings for taxpayers of these four closures and the nine prior closures is $162 million.

The planned closures were announced in July 2013, ensuring that this action complies with the statutorily-required one year notification process for staff and impacted communities. As has been the practice in the past, these communities will be eligible for economic development grants to ease the economic impact resulting from the closures. The Executive Budget makes $24 million in new capital funding available for this purpose.

The Executive Budget recommends a workforce of 29,067 FTEs for the Department, an increase of 66 FTEs from SFY 2014, as a result of updated policies and procedures for Special Housing Units.

Enacted State Operations appropriations for SFY 2014 have been adjusted downward by $20.7 million to account for the transfer of technology functions to the Office of Information Technology Services (ITS).

Note: Most recent estimates as of 01/20/2014

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