The State Of State Prisons - 1726 Words

The Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) had $562.2 million in prison expenditures in 2010. However, the state also had more than $7.2 million in prison-related costs outside the department’s budget. The total cost of Indiana’s prisons—to incarcerate an average daily population of 38,417—was therefore $569.5 million, of which 1.3 percent were costs outside the corrections budget. Determining the total cost of state prisons requires accounting for expenditures in all areas of government that support the prison system; not just those within the corrections budget. The additional costs to taxpayers can include expenses that are centralized for administrative purposes (such as employee benefits and capital costs) and services for inmates†¦show more content†¦Once a budget has been received, a budget officer goes over the prepared document and balances the proposal based on what is being requested and develops a recommended budget. From there the b udget is submitted to the governing authority, in this case the Department of Corrections. Once the Department of Corrections has reviewed all the important information obtained in the recommended budget, it then filed a proposed budget which is presented at the public board meetings. Once all adjustments to the initial budget plan are completed, a final adopted budget is put in place. This is what most department heads will use as the fiscal basis throughout the year. The main contributors to the budget process include the governing authority, chief budget officer, and department heads. The governing authority is typically the county board or city council in local government. In a regional jail arrangement, a regional governing board may consist of representatives from each participating jurisdiction. The agreement that creates the regional authority generally defines the regional governing board’s authority concerning budget issues. The governing authority must approve the budget for the jurisdiction and any changes to it during the fiscal year. It also secures the revenues necessary to fund the budget by setting tax levies and user fee rates,