The Kentucky Department of Corrections is a state agency of the Kentucky Justice & Public Safety Cabinet that operates state-owned adult correctional facilities, provides oversight for and sets standards for county jails. They also provide training, community based services, and oversees the state's Probation & Parole Division. The agency is headquartered in the Health Services Building in Frankfort. James Erwin was named Commissioner in May 2018 after serving as interim commissioner since the May 9, 2017 resignation of former corrections Commissioner Rodney Ballard.
Since the beginning of the 2015 Fiscal Year, the department has seen a staffing shortage of epic proportions due to low salaries, constant overtime (currently nearing $10 million), and the lure of higher paying jobs in the private sector. What were once 8-hour days and 40-hour weeks with occasional overtime turned into 12-hour days and 60-hour weeks out of necessity. In response to this staffing crisis and continued pressure from correctional employees, the Kentucky Legislature held a special session and approved an immediate 13.1% salary increase for current security staff, moved non-security staff to 40 hour work weeks, and increased the starting salary for Correctional Officers from $23,346 to $26,400 annually. Shortly after taking office, Governor Bevin included $4.5 million in his biennial budget proposal to provide retention raises for correctional staff.
Video Kentucky Department of Corrections
Facilities
State-owned
Following is a list of Kentucky state prisons:
Private prisons
In June 2013, Kentucky temporarily ended its decades long relationship with Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) (now CoreCivic), closing Marion Adjustment Center in St. Mary, the last private prison at the time that housed Kentucky inmates. This decision was widely applauded across the state, as the tax dollar savings totaled in the millions.
Otter Creek Correctional Complex in Wheelwright was closed in 2012 amid continued allegations of medical neglect, shoddy security, and sexual abuse of inmates from staff. It is still owned by CoreCivic and sits vacant. Discussions have been held periodically to use the vacant Otter Creek facility as a nursing home for Kentucky's ever growing elderly population, with medical care needs that most institutions are not equipped to handle.
Lee Adjustment Center in Beattyville, also operated by CoreCivic, housed out-of-state inmates from Vermont until 2010. In November 2017, due to facility overcrowding, the Kentucky Department of Corrections signed a contract allowing CoreCivic to reactivate the vacant prison to house up to 800 male inmates. These inmates would be transferred from the Kentucky State Reformatory. The facility reopened and began accepting inmates in March 2018.
Maps Kentucky Department of Corrections
Death row
The Kentucky State Penitentiary (KSP) houses the male death row. The Kentucky Correctional Institute for Women houses the female death row. Executions occur at KSP.
See also
- List of law enforcement agencies in Kentucky
- List of United States state correction agencies
- List of U.S. state prisons
- Prison
References
External links
- Kentucky DOC Website
Source of article : Wikipedia
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