Published: October 22, 2009 10:16 am      

State cuts will affect how court cases are handled locally

CLINTON — The Residential Corrections Facility in Davenport, run by the Department of Corrections, is in danger of being suspended and severely reduced, according to a preliminary departmental plan released Wednesday to meet the statewide 10 percent spending cut ordered by Gov. Chet Culver.

The RCF, used frequently for probation cases handled through Clinton County District Court, could face closure if the proposed cuts are approved. The loss would be part of a $715,000 funding cut and the elimination of 28 to 29 full-time positions within the Department of Corrections.

If the 64-bed facility is closed, its services will merge with the correctional department’s 81-bed work release center in Davenport, causing a substantial loss in space and offerings for both facilities’ programs.

“It’s definitely a loss of resources that the court uses,” said District Director Jim Wayne. I think without resources, the court will also probably send some people to prison that they would have sent to the RCF.”

According to the 7th Judicial District Department of Corrections’ report submitted to the governor’s office, the number of probation and parole officers would be among the staff reduced through the cuts, increasing caseload sizes and decreasing the level of supervision provided to offenders.

Wayne said since 90 percent of the department’s

funding goes to personnel, staff reduction would be a necessary option to meet the cut. The district’s Department of Corrections currently employs about 100 people.

Wayne anticipates layoffs for nine probation and parole officers. Many of the nearly 30 staff members facing layoffs have been in their jobs 10 years or longer, he added.

“These things hit hardest for the people that actually lose their job,” Wayne said. “That’s a life-changing event.”

The 7th Judicial District’s corrections department is headquartered in Davenport, along with the RCF and work release facility. Other offices are located in Clinton, Maquoketa, Muscatine, Tipton and the Scott County Jail complex.

Wayne said he anticipated the cuts all summer and fall as state revenue fell, but the corrections veteran never would have guessed their eventual magnitude.

“I’ve been doing this since 1972, and these are by far way above anything we’ve experienced before,” he said. “Part of what we’re offering the public is public safety. There’s only so much you can cut in those operations.”

Clinton County Attorney Mike Wolf said losing the RCF would cause a long-term impact on public safety.

“The RCF is so valuable,” said Wolf “It has changed a lot of people that would have otherwise gone to prison and become hardened criminals.”

Wolf said the courts will have fewer options without the facility’s offerings. With limited access to supervised probation, the court may have to choose prison time for offenders in cases when unsupervised probation is not an appropriate avenue.

Wolf anticipated it will be more difficult to reach plea agreements with felony offenders since the consequences will be stiffer and prison sentences more likely than the range of rehabilitation options available in the past.

Wolf added the programs and treatment options at the facility are invaluable in getting help for offenders with substance abuse and mental health issues. Offenders are also able to obtain their GED and employment through the facility’s programs.

“The reduction of bed space will make it harder for those people who need that assistance. It was a halfway situation, and lot of people fit into that,” he said. “Not everybody deserves to go to prison. We just don’t put people in the prison system and throw away the key.”

Wayne said he would like to try to recall laid-off staff and reopen the RCF in the future if state revenue evens out in the coming year. For now, the proposed reductions are being reviewed by the governor’s office.