BOC Spends $76,160 Daily to House 238 Local Prisoners

High local inmate care costs due to deteriorating facilities, compounded by significant overtime expenses, prompt calls for budget conservatism

The Bureau of Corrections revealed on Tuesday that it spends considerable sums to house local prisoners. According to Bureau Director Wynnie Testamark, the daily cost currently stands at $320 per inmate, equating to $76,160 per day, or $27.8 million annually for 238 inmates.

The high cost stands in stark contrast to the $67 to $85 per day spent on housing inmates off-island. BOC officials attribute the exorbitant local costs to deteriorating facilities that require significant repairs and maintenance, as well as the necessity to ship in all supplies.

The costs were revealed during BOC's budget hearing in the Senate Committee on Budget, Appropriations, and Finance meeting. There, Senator Samuel Carrion urged BOC officials to adopt a more conservative budget approach without compromising operations. He noted the lack of savings between their FY2024 and FY2025 budget requests. “You’re just moving from one section to another,” Carrion told Testamark.