By William Petroski
Des Moines Register
DES MOINES, Iowa — The cost per inmate in Iowa’s prison system in the 2012 state budget year averaged $30,546 while overall prison spending was down over the past five years, a new state audit shows.
The report issued by State Auditor Mary Mosiman said state general fund expenditures for Iowa’s nine state prisons totaled about $263 million for the year ended June 30, 2012, up about $1.4 million, or 0.5 percent, from the year ended June 30, 2011.
Senior Correctional Officer Mike Barnes is joined by his Belgian Malinois service dog, Thor, inside the Iowa State Penitentiary at Fort Madison last week.
However, general fund expenditures have decreased 2.4 percent during the five-year period ended June 30, 2012, the audit said. The average daily cost per inmate of $83.69 for the year ended June 30, 2012 was 0.5 percent less than the average daily cost per inmate of $84.09 for the year ended June 30, 2008.
The average number of inmates decreased 2.2 percent over the five-year period, from 8,765 for the year ended June 30, 2008 to 8,573 for the year ended June 30, 2012. The state currently has 8,204 inmates in its prison system.
Full story: Iowa prison spending drops; average inmate costs taxpayers $30,546 annually