State Corrections Director Brent Reinke says the budget set for corrections by JFAC this morning will be "very challenging." He said, "The funds are not there, and so we have to be as creative as we can be and yet keep our staff safe and run safe facilities." He said he anticipates a "sizeable" supplemental budget request next year, based largely on inmate growth. Plus, it's not clear that the plan to delay the opening of the Correctional Alternative Placement Program from June to September, then phase in inmate transfers to it, will fit within the dollar figure that JFAC allocated; Reinke said negotiations still are ongoing with the contractor on that. Overall, he said, "We've got a pretty good plan at getting out of (fiscal year) '10 - '11 is a different story." He added, "We're already down $29 million from where we started 18 months ago."

Click below to read a press release the Corrections Department sent out yesterday on a new money-saving move that's had staff "dumpster diving" to see what food inmates throw out, then adjust meals to cut back accordingly.

Idaho Department of Correction
News Release

March 4, 2010

IDOC Works to Cut Food Costs

BOISE - In a move aimed at decreasing its already low operational
costs, the Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) is developing a
business plan to reduce the department’s food service budget.

“We’re proud that we have one of the lowest inmate cost-per-day
figures in the country, but we can always do better,” said IDOC
Director Brent Reinke. “That’s why I’m challenging our food
service staff to find ways to trim more than $1 million from their
budget by the end of the next year.”

The cost-saving measures fall in four categories:

· Menu modifications including the elimination of juices.
· Switch to a self-select feeding system so offenders can choose one
serving of the item they want instead of serving a standardized meal to
everyone.
· Operational changes including centralized purchasing and greater
reliance on bulk items for serving.
· Staffing adjustments through modification of work schedules.

“We’ve had staffers digging through the dumpsters to determine
what’s being wasted,” Director Reinke said. “But while we’re
serious about saving money, we also know food management is critical to
the safe and orderly operation of our institutions, so we’ll be moving
forward very carefully.”

IDOC serves 4,700,000 meals a year. The average cost per meal is now
$1.63.  The department’s goal is to reduce the figure to $1.47.

*Still photos of lunch being served at South Idaho Correctional
Institution are available upon request.


Release Prepared By:

Jeff Ray
Public Information Officer
Idaho Department of Correction