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Department of Corrections

• Office of Youth Development - Contract Services Program - $3 million in State General Fund (Direct) has been built into the base of this office's budget to fund juvenile residential and day treatment programs, which in previous years had been placed in the budget via line-item legislative amendments. The Department will seek competitive bids for services to address these needs. An additional line-item amendment for $500,000 in State General Fund (Direct) was also provided to the Contract Services Program for "alternative treatment, residential, and non-residential programs." One line-item amendment for $250,000 in State General Fund (Direct) was placed in the Office of Youth Development by the House of Representatives for the New Orleans Youth Foundation.
   
• Prison construction - The department has $2 million in State General Fund (Direct) built into its budget for two major prison dorm construction projects for FY04. A 192-bed dorm at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women is scheduled to be completed in December 2003. This dorm will require 47 positions. A dorm is also being constructed at Jetson Correctional Center for Youth to replace a dorm that burned down in 2000. This new dorm will contain 72 beds and will require 50 positions.
   
• Closure of certain dorms -The department is scheduled to close 238 beds at juvenile institutions in FY04, with an anticipated reduction of about $2.5 million SGF (Direct) for FY04 as a result of these various closures. The department is making an effort to shift juveniles from secure facilities to community-based programs, thus resulting in fewer beds needed.
   
• Adult Probation and Parole - $170,000 in SGF (Direct) is in HB1 for a new district probation and parole office to serve Ascension, Assumption, and St. Landry parishes. It is to be headquartered in Donaldsonville.
   
• Inflation adjustments - Two percent (2%) inflation adjustments were provided for both Winn and Allen Correctional Centers. The cost for these adjustments was $320,982 for each institution.
   
• A total of $2 million in interagency transfers will be received by the Office of Youth Development from Federal Title IV-E funds from the Department of Social Services. This funding will be distributed to local juvenile courts to assist with the cases of juveniles who meet the requirements for the Federal Title IV-E program (typically non-adjudicated delinquents).