By the Numbers: LBB gives budget overview of TYC's difficulties

Here are some notes from the presentation to the House Appropriations Subcommitee on Crimional Justice by Angela Isaac, an LBB Analyst for TYC and juvenile probation. (She had a handout of which I'll try to get a copy.)

TYC has a budget of $452.7 million for the biennium, she said, and $450.7 million of that comes straight from General Revenue. At the moment about TYC incarcerates 3,300 youths, she said, but Isaac's data tells me to expect that figure to decline even further.

Assumptions underlying the agency's current budget anticipated substantial reductions in the inmate population through closures and reduced size of some facilities. Agency is appropriated for a total of 2,292 beds in institutions, 218 in halfway houses, 641 in private facilities, for a total of 3,151 youth. (I've argued that understaffing will cause them to push that figure lower; I don't think enough staff can be hired to keep up a 12-1 ratio for 3,151 youth, particularly if the feds actually force them to meet that ratio without juggling the number.)

Isaac said (publicly for the first time, as far as I know) that this biennial budget imposed funding reductions based on an assumption of a whopping 1,496 decrease in institutional beds and 1,241 FTE reduction - i.e., firing 1,241 workers. Many are already gone, but that still means more staff reductions are planned.

In addition, TYC's total institutional bed count will reduce by another 456 beds because of renovating open bay dorms into single cells..

All this collectively amounts to an estimated 32% reduction in the number of inmates in Texas youth prisons from 2006 levels, and a 36% reduction in the number of JCOs - I'd never understood the new budget anticipated cuts that drastic.

The youth who would have been in TYC in the past just become the counties' problem - counties received some new money for that, but likely not enough to cover as many youth as Ms. Isaac described.

On the JCOs 12-1 staffing ratio: The Lege approved funds for more than 500 new JCO staff, last yeasr, but those remain unfilled. The agency reports they're meeting or nearly meeting staffing levels, but there have been allocations they're counting caseworkers and other non-JCO employees to get to that number.

TYC has 2,238 JCO positions filled, leaving 538 budgeted slots unfilled. Meanwhile the turnover rate for JCOs remained an astonishing 49% in 2007. Rep. McReynolds questioned why the turnover rate was so high, and whether it resulted from SB 103 and the Legislature's changes.

While many Grits readers have been concerned with possible shift to contract care, Isaac reports that TYC budgeted for 641 contract beds, but only leases 303 beds right now.

Here's a story that's not been publicly told before about the lethargic response by the agency to improve health care for youth. The Lege appropriated $44.2 million for health and psychiatric care, said Isaac, however nineteen new FTEs were funded for providing additional oversight for inmate health care, but as of right now none of those positions have been filled.

Next up are conservator Richard Nedelkoff and acting executive director Dimitria Pope. Sylvester Turner tried to pin down Nedelkoff on whether Dimitria Pope would remain executive director, but Nedelkoff said he'd prefer to discuss the matter privately, deflecting the question fairly admirably. Turner made it clear, though, that he'd like see an announcement very soon, and he "doesn't want to spend a lot of time" talking to Dimitria Pope if she won't be there next week. Nedelkoff didn't budge though. Looking at the discussion overall, though, I'd still bet her days are number.

More soon. If you're watching the hearing, let me know your thoughts in the comments.