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Last updated on Wednesday, January 14, 2015
(BUNKER HILL) - Gov. Mike Pence’s two-year budget proposal accommodates a projected rise in local prison populations.
In last week's state budget committee meeting, Pence released plans to spend $51 million through expansion projects for two Indiana prisons.
According to The Kokomo Tribune, $18.2 million of the funds would go toward the construction of two new cell housing units at Miami Correctional Facility, increasing capacity by another 512 beds. And $32.6 million has been proposed to build three new cell blocks on the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility, increasing capacity by another 800 beds.
While $51 million is the estimated cost to expand the two prisons, the actual operational costs have not been included in the budget. Pence would like to plan for a $43 million increase to Indiana Department of Corrections' funding to cover any changes to operations and staffing.
Pence's proposed 2015-2016 budget is $31.1 billion, which is $781 million more than Indiana's current budget. If approved, the new budget will go into affect July 1.
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