GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1993

S	1 

SENATE BILL 243

Short Title:  GPAC/Prison Consolidation.	(Public)
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Sponsors: Senator Martin of Guilford.
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Referred to:  Government Performance Audit.
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February 18, 1993

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO IMPLEMENT A RECOMMENDATION OF THE GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE AUDIT COMMITTEE TO CONSOLIDATE THIRTY OF THE STATE'S SMALLEST PRISONS, AND TO IMPROVE ORGANIZATIONAL FUNCTIONS AND REDUCE STAFF IN AREA OFFICES OF THE DIVISION OF PRISONS.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  The General Assembly finds that:
(1) 	North Carolina has the eighth highest corrections staffing level in the nation, and the State's prison efficiency is low as measured by inmates per correction officer in prisons in the southeastern United States;
(2)	Other states manage an equivalent number of inmates with one-third less staff;
(3)	North Carolina has four to six times as many prisons as the national state average;
(4)	The average state prison holds more than two and one-half times more inmates than the average North Carolina prison;
(5)	Over one-third of North Carolina's prisons have standard operating capacities that are inefficient and costly;
(6)	The number of small prisons and a lack of autonomy in prison superintendents creates excessive layers of management, inefficiencies, unnecessary paperwork, and a reduction in accountability;
(7) 	The Eastern and Western Commands of North Carolina's Division of Prisons have approximately 330 staff in their area offices that provide supervision and centralized support to 66 small and medium prisons.
Sec. 2.  The Department of Correction shall construct three new prison facilities and expand two existing prison facilities.  The designs for the new facilities and the expanded facilities shall include an estimate of the inmate-to-staff ratio that will be required by the facility when it is fully operational.  The new and expanded facilities should be large enough to achieve an inmate-to-correctional officer ratio of approximately 5:1 and an inmate-to-total uniformed staff ratio of approximately 4:1.
Sec. 3.  The Department of Correction shall consolidate the populations of the following institutions into the facilities constructed and expanded pursuant to this act: Warren Correctional Center, Halifax Correctional Center, Washington Correctional Center, Scotland Correctional Center, Yadkin Correctional Center, McDowell Correctional Center, Yancey Correctional Center, Moore Correctional Center, Alamance Correctional Center, Avery Correctional Center, Union Correctional Center, Stanley Correctional Center, Granville Correctional Center, Alexander Correctional Center, Currituck Correctional Center, Wilmington Residential Facility for Women, Davie Correctional Center, Rockingham Correctional Center, Watauga Correctional Center, Cleveland Correctional Center, Haywood Correctional Center, Person Correctional Center, Black Mountain Correctional Center for Women, Mecklenburg Correctional Center, Umstead Correctional Center, Martin Correctional Center, Henderson Correctional Center, Gates Correctional Center, Buncombe Correctional Center, and Stokes Correctional Center.
Sec. 4.  The Division of Prisons of the Department of Correction shall redraw its area command regions in conjunction with the consolidation accomplished in this act. The Division shall develop new policies to minimize approval and review functions at the area command. Central support services shall be consolidated under the area boundaries.
Sec. 5.  As a result of the prison consolidation and improved organizational functions provided for in this act, the Division of Prisons of the Department of Correction shall reduce its staff by a net of 660 uniformed staff and 132 area office staff.
Sec. 6.  The base budget of the Department of Correction is reduced by four hundred sixty-two thousand dollars ($462,000) for the 1993-94 fiscal year, by nine hundred fifty-two thousand dollars ($952,000) for the 1994-95 fiscal year, by seven million three hundred one thousand dollars ($7,301,000) for the 1995-96 fiscal year, by fourteen million six hundred thousand dollars ($14,600,000) for the 1996-97 fiscal year, and by seven million three hundred one thousand dollars ($7,301,000) for the 1997-98 fiscal year, as a result of the consolidation and staff reductions accomplished in this act on the timetable set by the Government Performance Audit Committee.
Sec. 7.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Correction the sum of seventy-five million dollars ($75,000,000) for the 1993-94 fiscal year for the construction of new prison facilities and the expansion of existing facilities pursuant to the provisions of this act.
Sec. 8.  This act becomes effective July 1, 1993.