By William Petroski
From the Des Moines Register
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Iowa’s prison system, which has topped 9,000 inmates for the first time ever, is facing a short-term funding crisis which could create a dangerous situation for prison employees, a key Democratic lawmaker warned today.
Sen. Tom Hancock, D-Epworth, chairman of the Iowa Senate’s Justice Systems Budget Subcommittee, said that early in this year’s legislative session Gov. Terry Branstad requested a supplemental appropriation for the Iowa Department of Corrections. The Republican-controlled Iowa House has approved a spending bill, and so has the Iowa Senate. But each bill is different, and those differences haven’t been reconciled, he cautioned.
The state’s prison system needs a short-term infusion of $11.4 million in state funds, Hanock said.
Read more at DesMoinesRegister.com.