Kentucky prison costs, number of inmates grows

By Beth Musgrave - bmusgrave@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — A new report by a state legislative group shows that Kentucky's prison population and the amount spent to house criminals has jumped by about half in the past 10 years.

Despite those increases, the report says Kentucky's spending for prisons is on par with many states with similar prison populations. The study was compiled by staff members of the legislature's Program Review and Investigations Committee.

The state's rising prison population has been the subject of other reports. In 2008, a Pew Center on the States report showed that Kentucky's prison population was growing faster than that of other states.

Cindy Upton, a staffer with the Program Review and Investigations Committee, told the legislative committee Thursday that from fiscal year 2000 to fiscal year 2009 — a span of about 10 years — the average number of inmates increased by almost 42 percent and annual costs increased by more than 53 percent.

On average, the state housed 21,473 inmates in 2009, compared to 15,164 in 2000.

Kentucky spent $294 million to incarcerate prisoners in 2000. In 2009, the cost was $451 million.

But the amount Kentucky spends on prisoners is comparable to what other states with similar prison populations spend, Upton noted. In 2007, Kentucky spent 2.4 percent of its total budget on prisons. That's below the national average of 3.4 percent, she said.

The state's recidivism rate — the number of people who end up back in prison — contributed to the uptick in inmates, Upton said. Kentucky's recidivism rate is 42 percent. The national average is 34 percent, Upton said.

Frankfort's "tough on crime" approach over the years also has increased the number of felony crimes and the number of persistent felony offenders, the report noted.

Rep. Arnold Simpson, D-Covington, and a member of the Program Review and Investigations Committee, questioned how Kentucky could have one of the fastest-growing prison populations yet still fall below the national average in the amount of money it spends on prisons.

Upton said it's likely that other states also have seen an increase in prison populations during the same period.

The report made a series of recommendations about how to decrease costs.

Many of those recommendations have been pushed in the past but have not been approved by the legislature.

Some of those recommendations include:

■ Changing the law so persistent felony offender sentences apply only to people with violent offenses.

■ Allowing inmates to be paid to run canteens, in-house stores that sell toiletries and other items to inmates.

■ Changing the law to allow the Kentucky Department of Corrections to contract with outside companies to employ prisoners.

■ Shortening sentences for inmates who complete certain in-house programs, such as substance abuse programs.

Department of Corrections Commissioner LaDonna Thompson told the panel that the department favors many of the recommendations.

A bill that would allow state prisons to contract with outside companies to employ prisoners has been introduced in previous legislative sessions but has never passed, Thompson said.

A legislative subcommittee also is looking at reforms aimed at curbing the state prison population. The group is expected to make recommendations during the 2010 legislative session, which begins in January.

A separate task force is looking at how to reduce the state's recidivism rate.