House Budget Hearing Recap: Department of Corrections
The House Appropriations Committee convened a budget hearing with Department of Corrections (DOC) leadership, including Secretary Harry, deputies, and senior staff. The hearing covered a wide range of operational and policy issues, including inmate medical co-pays, facility closures, staffing and recruitment progress, maternal health services, contraband trends, institutional violence, veteran reentry services, communications and visitation, parole body cameras, and capital and budget pressures.
No votes were taken during the hearing.
Medical Co-Pays: Cost, Access, and Operational Impact
The hearing opened with significant discussion surrounding the $5 inmate medical co-pay.
Representative Khan, drawing from her background as a nurse practitioner, questioned whether the co-pay creates a barrier to care given inmate wages reportedly range from approximately 23 to 61 cents per hour. She asked whether DOC had costed out eliminating or waiving the co-pay and what downstream costs might result from delayed care, including emergency room transports.
DOC Response
Secretary Harry and DOC deputies explained:
- During COVID, when co-pays were waived, sick-call requests increased between 25% and 42%.
- At one facility, 67% of inmates submitted weekly sick-call slips.
- Chronic care clinics and physicals became backlogged.
- DOC estimates managing similar demand without a co-pay would likely require additional practitioners at a cost exceeding $15 million annually.
DOC emphasized:
- Co-pays generated approximately $526,000 last year.
- Inmate payroll totaled approximately $16.5 million.
- Commissary purchases totaled roughly $56 million.
- Electronic transfers into inmate accounts approached $100 million annually.
DOC clarified that co-pays do not apply to chronic care, diagnostics, prenatal care, mental health services, or other essential services. They are primarily assessed for non-chronic initial sick calls, certain medications, sports injuries, and inmate assaults.
The Department maintains that the co-pay serves as a demand-management tool to preserve access for inmates with serious medical needs.
Facility Closures: Boot Camp and Rockview
Representatives Rigby and others requested updates on previously announced facility closures, including the Quehanna Boot Camp and Rockview.
Status Update
DOC reported:
- All inmates have been transferred out.
- By month’s end, facilities will be empty.
- Approximately 734 staff were transferred.
- Approximately 134 retirements occurred during the transition.
- Original staffing levels were roughly 800–857 at those facilities.
- A limited number of staff remain temporarily for inventory, maintenance, and utility management.
- DCNR will assume control of Quehanna property under an MOU.
Boot Camp Program
DOC reported declining participation:
- 108 graduates in 2024.
- 64 graduates in 2025.
Drug treatment programming, which comprised the majority of participation, has been relocated to:
- Cambridge Springs
- SCI Laurel Highlands
- SCI Houtzdale
Boot camp programming is being integrated into Houtzdale and Cambridge Springs.
Rockview Closure Rationale
DOC cited nearly $1 billion in capital needs across its footprint. Rather than invest heavily in Rockview, the Department chose to mothball core portions of the facility while maintaining certain adjacent assets such as reservoirs and forestry operations.
Financial discussion included:
- Approximately $64.4 million in personnel savings.
- Approximately $27 million in operational/utility reallocations.
- Roughly $101.9 million in total closure-related savings (balanced against one-time transition costs).
Mammography and Act 1 of 2023
Representative Fleming referenced Act 1 of 2023, which expanded breast cancer screening access for high-risk individuals, and asked how DOC ensures equitable screening for incarcerated women.
DOC Response
- Mammography services are provided via mobile vendor vans at Cambridge Springs and Muncy.
- Most screening currently utilizes 2D mammography.
- DOC medical directors are reviewing evidence regarding expanded 3D mammography.
- Clinicians consider age, family history, and individual risk factors when determining screening protocols.
- If standard of care shifts toward 3D as primary screening, DOC indicated it would align accordingly.
DOC committed to follow up with additional details regarding screening protocols.
Staffing, Recruitment, and Vacancy Reduction
Representative Rigby and others asked about vacancy improvements.
DOC Reported:
- 53 out-of-state hires.
- Increased hiring under age 21, with improved retention among that cohort (21% leaving within nine months, considered improved retention compared to broader trends).
- Recruitment team attended 750+ events last year.
- Post-closure vacancy rate projected around 3%.
- Vacancies reduced from approximately 930–950 at peak to under 400 currently.
DOC emphasized retention remains a priority moving forward.
Veteran Services and Reentry (HB 866)
Representative Webster referenced House Bill 866 regarding incarcerated veterans.
DOC reported:
- Approximately 2,300 incarcerated veterans statewide.
- 613 housed in Veteran Service Units (VSUs).
- In-facility disability and pension exams.
- Dedicated reentry social workers.
- Veteran resource agents deployed on the parole side.
- Support for expanded veteran reentry services, subject to funding and staffing.
Contraband and Synthetic Drug Trends
Members pressed DOC on contraband and drug trends.
DOC acknowledged:
- An uptick in positive drug tests following a low period.
- Shift toward synthetic drugs delivered via paper.
- Legal mail and packages as potential vectors.
Mitigation efforts include:
- Canine teams.
- Drone surveillance.
- Targeted and institution-wide searches (3–4 annually).
- Analytics-driven search targeting.
- 116 inmate charges last year tied to contraband incidents.
DOC noted a 1% overall decrease in positive urinalysis in one measure but acknowledged rising challenges associated with synthetic substances.
Rising Violence and the Violence Reduction Committee
Multiple members questioned the increase in institutional violence from approximately 35 incidents per 1,000 inmates in 2020 to approximately 71 per 1,000 in 2024.
DOC identified contributing factors:
- Post-COVID institutional reopening.
- Staffing vacancies and inexperienced staff.
- Sentencing reforms concentrating more violent offenders in state facilities.
- Synthetic drug infiltration.
Violence Reduction Committee Initiatives:
- Expanded de-escalation training (1,700+ academy attendees trained).
- Certified peer mentor programs.
- Equipment modifications (e.g., lighter master locks).
- Tablet programming expansion.
- Targeted operational changes.
DOC stated reductions are expected over time but noted national prison systems are experiencing similar trends.
Restricted Housing and Solitary Confinement
Members asked whether restricted housing units (RHU) equate to solitary confinement.
DOC clarified:
- ACA defines solitary as over 22 hours per day in cell.
- Policy reforms provide at least three hours out-of-cell time for inmates in RHU over 30 days.
- Mental health and treatment staff maintain outreach on these units.
- DOC maintains reformed RHUs do not meet solitary definitions in most cases.
Dignity Act and Maternal Services
Representative Mays asked about implementation of the Dignity Act for Incarcerated Women.
DOC reported:
- First statutorily required restraint/report issued August 2025.
- One parole-side incident involved temporary restraints during transport due to acute safety risk; restraints were removed once the individual stabilized.
- 16 deliveries last year where doulas were accepted.
- Lactation support available (limited uptake).
- Free menstrual products provided.
- Trauma and substance-use programming available.
This exchange was highlighted as a transparency moment during the hearing.
Body Cameras for Parole Agents
Representative Kutz requested an update.
DOC reported:
- Fully executed contract this month.
- Procurement cost approximately $2.1 million.
- Phase one rollout expected next spring.
- Estimated recurring annual cost approximately $66,000.
- Expanding cameras to corrections officers would cost approximately $5.6 million annually and require collective bargaining negotiations.
DOC emphasized transparency and investigative efficiency benefits.
Communications, Tablets, and Visitation
Members noted significant declines in in-person visitation since 2019 (approximately 50% decrease), with corresponding increases in video visitation.
DOC cited:
- Approximately 42% cancellation/no-show rate for in-person visits.
- Approximately 21% cancellation/no-show rate for virtual visits.
- Six free video visits per month.
- Limited free email messaging.
- Central office assistance for scheduling issues.
Tablet Procurement
- Combined-services procurement underway.
- Vendor will provide hardware.
- Inmates will pay for communications/downloads.
- Rollout expected summer–fall.
- Providing free phone calls statewide would cost approximately $35–$87 million annually depending on usage.
- Some states that tried free calls found the model unsustainable.
Death Row Settlement and Victim Notification
Representative Marcel raised concerns regarding a capital case settlement involving inmate privileges.
DOC explained:
- A settlement agreement with capital inmates required phased compliance adjustments over several years.
- Housing, out-of-cell time, religious services, and programming were adjusted accordingly.
- DOC committed to clarifying which privileges were settlement-required versus later operational decisions.
- Agreed to follow up with documentation and improve communication with victims’ families.
This was one of the most emotionally charged exchanges of the hearing.
Mental Health and Hard-to-Place Inmates
Representative Nelson asked about mental illness prevalence and placement challenges.
DOC reported:
- Approximately 38% of inmates have identified mental health needs.
- Approximately 7.5% have serious mental illness.
- Approximately 500 hard-to-place inmates overall.
- Approximately 200 in community correction centers.
DOC described difficulty placing inmates with violent histories and medical needs in community settings. RFIs have been issued and interagency groups convened with DHS, Health, and Aging to pursue solutions.
Parole Hearings and Statistics
DOC reported:
- Approximately 12,310 parole interviews conducted.
- Approximately 1,000 short-sentence parole cases without interviews.
- Overall parole grant rate approximately 49%.
- Hearings conducted virtually for efficiency and cost savings.
Budget Pressures and Funding Requests
Committee discussion referenced an overall DOC budget increase of approximately $142 million.
Key drivers include:
- Personnel cost-to-carry and bargaining unit increases (~$85.7 million).
- Rising food costs (from $51 million in 2017 to approximately $86.3 million recently).
- Loss of approximately $10 million previously supported by federal SLFRF funds.
- Ongoing facility maintenance and mothballing expenses.
DOC presented closure savings but acknowledged ongoing cost pressures across its footprint.
Follow-Up Commitments
DOC agreed to provide:
- Detailed mammography protocol updates.
- Documentation clarifying capital case settlement requirements.
- Breakdown of violence incidents (inmate-on-inmate vs inmate-on-staff).
- Hard-to-place inmate counts and costs.
- Additional detail on closure savings/expenditures.
- Updates on tablet rollout and body-camera implementation.
Conclusion
The House DOC budget hearing presented a detailed and, at times, emotionally charged review of correctional system operations.
Key themes included:
- Balancing healthcare access with operational capacity.
- Managing violence trends amid changing inmate demographics.
- Transitioning facilities while reducing vacancy rates.
- Expanding veteran and maternal services.
- Addressing contraband and synthetic drug threats.
- Evaluating communications costs and transparency initiatives.