Senators Question Overtime and Prisoner Programs

Several members of the Senate’s Committee on Budget, Appropriations, and Finance grilled Wynnie Testamark, director of the Bureau of Corrections, on the high cost of housing prisoners in the territory compared with sending them stateside.

Sen. Ray Fonseca Tuesday even questioned why all the prisoners should not be sent stateside.

Testamark said prisoners were kept in the territory for many reasons, including the work-release program and the short duration of some sentences. Relations of prisoners have historically complained about the difficulty of visiting prisoners stateside.

“The Bureau houses 238 inmates locally — 91 (73 detainees, 18 inmates) at Alexander A. Farrelly Criminal Justice Complex on St. Thomas and 147 (84 detainees, 63 inmates) at John Bell Adult Correctional Facility on St. Croix,” she testified. The bureau houses 156 inmates off-island at facilities in Florida (73), Virginia (38), and Mississippi (45).

“Incarcerating a prisoner in the Virgin Islands exceeds twice the cost on the mainland. Currently, the Bureau estimates that maintaining an inmate in the territory amounts to $320 per day, compared to approximately $67 to $85 per day in mainland correctional facilities,” Testamark explained.