NCJ Number
134997
Date Published
1991
Length
76 pages
Annotation
In response to the Federal Bureau of Prisons prison construction program, that will double its inmate capacity by 1995 at a cost of approximately $3 billion, the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) compared Federal and State prison construction and operating costs to determine how the Federal government could save money on new medium security prisons.
Abstract
Federal medium security prisons opened between 1985 and 1989 cost more per bed to build than comparable State facilities because they accorded each inmate 55 percent more space and housed inmates in single-cells rather than in multiple-occupancy cells or dormitories. Federal prisons also dedicated more space to inmate programs than did State prisons. However, Federal prisons cost less to operate than the State prisons because Federal prison personnel were paid, on average, 5 percent less than State correctional personnel and Federal prisons operated with a 27-percent higher inmate-to-staff ratio. Once the proposed Federal law enforcement pay reform is implemented, differences between Federal and State salaries will be reduced, and Federal prison operating costs will escalate. The GAO recommended several ways in which Federal prison construction costs could be contained: reduce the amount of space provided to inmates, make better use of multipurpose spaces, and locate prisons in lower cost geographic areas. 14 tables, 10 figures, and 5 appendixes