Headquarters Frankfort, Kentucky | ||
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Legal personality Governmental: Government agency Operations jurisdiction* Commonwealth of Kentucky, USA Governing body Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet General nature Law enforcement
Local civilian police Agency executive Rodney Ballard, Commissioner | ||
The Kentucky Department of Corrections is a state agency of the Kentucky Justice & Public Safety Cabinet that operates state-owned adult correctional facilities, provides oversight for and sets standards for county jails. They also provide training, community based services, and oversees the state's Probation & Parole Division. The agency is headquartered in the Health Services Building in Frankfort. On March 14, 2016 Rodney Ballard was appointed by Governor Matt Bevin to replace the retiring LaDonna Thompson as Commissioner. Thompson, who was appointed by former Governor Steve Beshear in 2007, and was the first woman to be appointed to that post in the state's history.
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Since the beginning of the 2015 Fiscal Year, the department has seen a staffing shortage of epic proportions due to low salaries, constant overtime (currently nearing $10 million), and the lure of higher paying jobs in the private sector. What were once 8-hour days and 40-hour weeks with occasional overtime turned into 12-hour days and 60-hour weeks out of necessity. In response to this staffing crisis and continued pressure from correctional employees, the Kentucky Legislature held a special session and approved an immediate 13.1% salary increase for current security staff, moved non-security staff to 40 hour work weeks, and increased the starting salary for Correctional Officers from $23,346 to $26,400 annually. Shortly after taking office, Governor Bevin included $4.5 million in his biennial budget proposal to provide retention raises for correctional staff.
State-owned
Following is a list of Kentucky state prisons:
Private prisons
As of June 2013, Kentucky ended its decades long relationship with Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), closing Marion Adjustment Center, the last private prison in Kentucky that housed Kentucky inmates. This decision was widely applauded across the state, as the tax dollar savings totaled in the millions.
Otter Creek Correctional Complex in Wheelwright, Kentucky was closed in 2012 amid continued allegations of medical neglect, shoddy security, and sexual abuse of inmates from staff. It is still owned by CCA and sits vacant. Discussions have been held periodically to use the vacant Otter Creek facility as a nursing home for Kentucky's ever growing elderly population, with medical care needs that most institutions are not equipped to handle.
Lee Adjustment Center, also operated by CCA, housed out-of-state inmates from Vermont until 2010. As of 2016 this facility is also vacant.
Death row
The Kentucky State Penitentiary (KSP) houses the male death row. The Kentucky Correctional Institute for Women houses the female death row. Executions occur at KSP.