A new report by California prison officials has underestimated the number of inmates that would be locked up in the state by mid-year.
Nearly $100 million needs to be added to the state budget to cover the incarceration cost for the extra inmates, according to incarceration costs complied by the Legislative Analyst.
In its first projection, the Spring 2013 Adult Population Projections Fiscal Years 2012/13 – 2017/18, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation calculated by June 30, the number of inmates in the state’s 33 institutions and camps, inmates housed in the Department of Mental Health facilities, and inmates in out-of-state facilities would be 131,071. However, the actual number was 132,827—1,756 inmates more than projected.
For 2012/13, the estimated incarceration cost for each inmate is $56,421, which makes the annual cost for 1,756 inmates $99,075,276, according to figures by Drew Soderberg, LAO (See Table Below).
The Court ordered population cap of 137.5 percent of designed capacity refers to inmates housed in the state’s 33 institutions. On June 30, the state’s 33 institutions housed 119,151 inmates, which was 9,487 over the cap. However, since then the Stockton hospital added more beds to the state’s prison designed capacity.
As of Sept. 18, CDCR was 7,998 over the cap, according to department numbers.
