MEMBERS of the House Committee on Ways and Means on Tuesday expressed concern about the Department of Corrections’ lack of funding.
It is the Ways and Means Committee that has jurisdiction over government budget and revenue measures.
In a meeting Tuesday, the committee chairman, Rep. Donald Manglona, asked Corrections Commissioner Wally Villagomez about the department’s financial status.
Corrections administration manager Rita Iglesias said the department’s fiscal year 2021 budget “was severely cut.”
She said they needed about $5 million, but they were appropriated $2.7 million only. Of this amount, Iglesias said $1.092 million is for personnel, and the rest is for operations and “all others.”
Iglesias said Corrections has 112 employees, 101 of whom are sworn-in officers while 11 are civilian employees.
Manglona noted that Corrections “has gone through” about half a million dollars just for overtime pay.
Iglesias said Corrections also spends $21,000 per inmate each year. Right now, there are 185 inmates, 10 of whom are females and two are juveniles.
The $21,000 spent on an inmate is for a healthy inmate, Corrections Director Georgia Cabrera said, adding that the department spends more for ailing inmates “because we cannot deny them medical attention.”
Villagomez told the committee that Corrections needs an adequate budget “for safe and secure confinement of pretrial and sentencing inmates, and to support our operations and programs.”
Various concerns
The lawmakers raised various other concerns ranging from the poor condition of facilities to inadequate rehabilitation programs.
Villagomez said Corrections also suffered significant damage during Super Typhoon Yutu. Portions of the facility damaged by typhoon have not been repaired yet, he added.
Asked by Rep. Edwin Propst what kind of rehabilitation programs Corrections has for inmates, Villagomez said they have Bible study and outreach programs. However, he added, Bible study has been temporarily suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.
Propst also said that some Corrections officers don’t have the necessary equipment such as a two-way radio due to lack of funds.
Villagomez said those issues were the first to be brought to his attention when he took office. He said he has taken action to address those concerns.
“I am working on those right now as we speak,” he told the lawmaker.
Regarding the availability of medical care for inmates, Cabrera said Corrections has officers manning every section of the facility to ensure that inmates who need immediate medical attention are attended to and transported to the hospital if necessary.
She said they have medical equipment for blood pressure and blood sugar monitoring machines, and they can quickly communicate with Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. doctors. If the doctors advise to bring an inmate to the hospital, Corrections will transport the inmate promptly, Cabrera said.
Rep. Sheila Babauta said Corrections has a rehabilitation program, but there is still a “high number” of incarcerated individuals, which makes her doubt the effectivity of the rehabilitation program.
Rep. Tina Sablan wanted to know if there has been an audit report on the department’s commissary.
Villagomez said Corrections has reached out to a “couple of auditors” who came back and suggested that Corrections can “settle things down” internally.
He said his office is now gathering past records and other documents pertaining to the operation of the commissary.
Sablan said it has been alleged that it’s “easy” to get illegal drugs into the Corrections facility, and that there are Corrections officers who “may be using drugs, too.”
The commissioner asked the lawmaker to allow him to discuss the matter with her privately.
Department of Corrections Commissioner Wally Villagomez, center, answers questions from members of the House Ways and Means Committee as Corrections Director Georgia Cabrera, right, and administration manager Rita Iglesias listen during a meeting with the committee in the House chamber on Tuesday.
Photo by Emmanuel T. Erediano
