Almost Half of BOC's 2022 Budget Unused Because of Failure to Secure New Staff With 98 Positions Unfilled; Consent Decree Drags On

The V.I. Bureau of Corrections has presented the Legislature with a reduced budget for fiscal year 2023, taking a cut of $4.5 million even as it struggles with severe staff shortage and high overtime costs.

The bureau’s proposed 2023 budget is $37,171,087, an 8.9 percent reduction over last year’s original budget of $41,719,068. That figure does not include $1,591,597 proposed for Federal Funds allotment.

BOC Director Wynnie Testamark said the entity will work “within the confines” of what they have and plans to supplement any additional funding needs with program grants.

According to the director, BOC has successfully secured grant funds to offset prison expenses such as offender programming, medical services, and infrastructure, remarking that, “Every dollar in grant funds the bureau unlocks is one dollar less than it spends from the General Fund."

The bureau is convinced that it would be able to work with the reduced amount, though Senator Donna Frett-Gregory believes that it is not possible if the organization intends to beef up its work force in the upcoming year.

“I’m going to ask that you all go back and look at your numbers because I don’t believe that you are able to do this if you are going to try to fill your positions in earnest,” she said.

With fiscal year 2022 nearing an end, the bureau has only expended 61.2 percent of its current budget which was funded mainly to pay fringe benefits and to fill vacant positions, a majority of which were not filled and will carry over into next year’s budget cycle. While the bureau expected to have a compliment of 287 staff members in 2022, 98 of those positions currently remain vacant. So far for 2022, it has only hired 14 new employees and plans to hire 23 more before the fiscal year ends.

The staff shortage has led to overtime payments of $4.8 million for 2022, approximately $1 million more than the previous year. These payments came as a result of 12-hour shifts that were implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, Peter Abrahams, program and grants manager said the bureau expects to have that money fully reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency which was allocated federal funds to assist with Covid expenses.