FISCAL NOTE
FUND(S):
Sources of Revenue:
General Fund
Legislation creates:
A New Fund
Fiscal Note Summary
Effect this measure will have on costs and revenues of state government.
The typical criminal sentence in West Virginia has a parole eligibility date that is less than a quarter of the full term. As a result the majority of releases from WVDOC are parole releases. Passage of this bill would result in a doubling or tripling of the average length of stay for WVDOC offenders when accounting for Good Time Credits. As a consequence the State could expect a catastrophic increase in the prison population that is already 20% larger than our bed capacity. An estimate of the financial impact is difficult to develop but such a calculation would have to consider a doubling or tripling of the offender population and the resulting costs for multiple large scale prison construction projects and the accompanying yearly operational costs. A single 1,200-bed prison has been estimated to cost between $150-$200 million.
Fiscal Note Detail
| Effect of Proposal |
Fiscal Year |
2011
Increase/Decrease
(use"-") |
2012
Increase/Decrease
(use"-") |
Fiscal Year
(Upon Full
Implementation) |
| 1. Estmated Total Cost |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Personal Services |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Current Expenses |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Repairs and Alterations |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Assets |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Other |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 2. Estimated Total Revenues |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Explanation of above estimates (including long-range effect):
Memorandum
The typical criminal sentence in West Virginia has a parole eligibility date that is less than a quarter of the full term. As a result the majority of releases from WVDOC are parole releases. Passage of this bill would result in a doubling or tripling of the average length of stay for WVDOC offenders when accounting for Good Time Credits. As a consequence the State could expect a catastrophic increase in the prison population that is already 20% larger than our bed capacity. An estimate of the financial impact is difficult to develop but such a calculation would have to consider a doubling or tripling of the offender population and the resulting costs for multiple large scale prison construction projects and the accompanying yearly operational costs. A single 1,200-bed prison has been estimated to cost between $150-$200 million.
Person submitting Fiscal Note: Loita Butcher
Email Address: loita.c.butcher@wv.gov