17 January 2012Dear Sir,Re: Budget cuts suggestions for HM CorrectionsThe Bermuda public have been crying foul for many years about the large amount of money we are paying to keep one prisoner. Presently we pay about eighty five thousand dollars plus ($85,000 +) per year, much more than most blue collar workers earn and more than it cost to house a senior. We want to see a breakdown of the services and items provided to the prisoner to justify this enormous amount of money. There is to be an Independent Comprehensive Review into the running of Corrections set up by Attorney General Michael Scott in August 2011 about to take place. At present the Review has not started. Because this Review is closed to the public, I must share my suggestions with the public. After all, it is our money.I would like for the Review Board, the Minister for Finance (before her 2012 Budget) and the Commissioner of Corrections to consider the following suggestions that could help to cut the budget, even if it is only by a small amount, instead of it increasing yearly. We can save more with less.1. Prisoners clothing; Prisoners should purchase their own underwear and socks. Prisoners have to be issued new underwear and socks when they first enter and additional issues during their term of imprisonment. Some years ago, Prisons stopped buying underwear and socks for prisoners as a cost saving item. Why is Corrections buying them again? Underwear and socks are not recyclable.2. Sneakers; Prisons also stopped buying sneakers for inmates as a cost saving item. Again, why is Correction buying them again? Corrections have a drug-sniffing dog and if they need a scanner to ensure that no contraband is in these items, then buy one. It will be far cheaper to buy a scanner than buying footwear and underwear continuously.3. Staff; Vocational Officer. This post is held by a Senior/Specialist Officer hidden away in an office at Westgate. This post has for years been overrated and unnecessary. The post holder organises prisoners classes, finds teachers for these classes and also finds jobs for eligible prisoners. To do this does not require a Specialist officer. A Divisional Officer can do this job. In most cases the D.O. i/c Works or the prisoners family with the approval of Corrections will find the prisoner a job. The P.O.A. (Prison Officers Association) should relinquish this post and give it to a Divisional officer or hire another Basic Officer is maintain staff strength.Officers Training; The Officers Training Section is run by a Chief Officer, a Principal Officer and a Divisional Officer. Again this is top heavy and a misuse of staff.Training does not need a Principal Officer and a Chief Officer. When there are no Recruit Classes, only two staff are needed to monitor the new staff and arrange refresher courses. When New Recruits are in training, Basic staff should be used to teach classes. This maintains the good standard of work in the Units. These Officers can also be used to act-up when needed. Rotating the Basic Officers to train Recruits will also help officers looking to be promoted.Retired Officers are rehired by the Department and deployed in quiet and non- confrontational areas like visits, the control room, the gate, courts, special projects, etc and not in the units were they can teach and assist the new officers. If they are not deployed in these areas, then recruiting, the Training Section and Corrections will certainly suffer, immediately. Rehiring should be very minimal and short term. Recycled officers will give you very little in terms of motivation and production. They are only there for the money and not to help junior officers.I suggest that Corrections try a Cadet Scheme where they can use Retired Officers to teach the Cadets or they can use one of the three Senior Officers already in Training.Question; Are rehired officers still paying into the Pension Fund, if not why and what is their monthly take home pay?Annual Leave and Sick Leave: Staff carrying over annual leave days should not be allowed to do so, they accumulate too many days. Also, officers going past the allotted 63 days sick leave (except in very special cases) should go before the Medical Board and recommended for medical discharge or dismissal. These two areas cause a large amount of overtime and burnout.4. Teachers/Classes; Some of these classes can be scraped, i.e. art and sewing.Art is part-time, a hobby and not a job. Inmates can do this on their own in the quiet of their own cell. Staff and family can have someone to scrutinise their work if they are serious about their hobby.Sewing or tailoring will not help today’s prisoner. They may enjoy the time out of their cells but how many will do this for a living? We need to be spending our money on teaching prisons life skills and meaningful jobs skills, not on hobbies and pastimes.5. Farming; The gardens at the Prison Farm have for many years supplied its establishments with vegetables almost year round. The planting areas are large enough to rotate and rest portions to at least supply the Farm with vegetables in slow times.There is a large amount of money spent to suppliers for vegetables for Corrections and I suggest that the garden at the Farm be put out to tender to a reputable farmer who can work it along with their other gardens and use prisoners help. The farmer can supply Corrections with vegetables as payment for rental and the purchasing will diminish. More prisoners will be employed and will learn gardening. They can be certified and hired by other farmers. In 2011, Corrections spent approximately $660,000 for food to one supplier alone.All of the above mentioned areas are a part of the $85,000 + it takes to keep a prisoner. These are doable cost savers and with more insight into the Corrections daily operations, more money saving areas can be found without disrupting The Mission of Corrections. To spend this much money on someone who is dysfunctional, non productive and therefore non-contributing to society must be looked at more closely. The Review Board has a lot of work to do and I hope they do not leave one stone unturned. This review is overdue and can turn Corrections around in five years as suggested by AG Scott.GERALD L BEANPaget