Officers say budget cuts mean less supervision of prisoners

It's virtually certain that some former prisoners will have less supervision from their parole and probation officers as budget cuts take effect, according to Gary Hinzman, Department of Corrections director for the Sixth Judicial District based in Cedar Rapids.

“We'll have to do some triage now of the people we supervise and focus our resources on the people we feel need supervision the most,” Hinzman said Thursday.

Hinzman said he and his staff are working out just where they'll cut. Meeting Gov. Chet Culver's goal of a 10-percent reduction in overall state spending could mean cutting up to 42 positions in the district.

“We are continuing to try to work through different budget scenarios,” he said. “For an agency that's never had to lay anybody off over the past 20 years it's a little bit of a shock to our system, but we're going to work within the guidelines.”

Based at the William G. Faches Center in southwest Cedar Rapids, the Sixth District's staff of 208 includes supervises about 4,500 former offenders in Jones, Linn, Benton, Tama, Johnson, and Iowa counties. The district has about 90 parole and probation agents - “really a cross between a police officer and a caseworker” is how Hinzman describes them.

Culver's plan means a cut of just under $1.4 million in the Sixth District's $13.7 million budget that comes from the state's general fund. The district receives about another $5.3 million in grants and payments from the federal government for keeping and tracking federal offenders, giving Hinzman a little leeway.

The cuts will probably increase agents' caseloads, currently 80 to 90 per agent.

“It is where we deliver services, so we know it's going to impact service delivery,” Hinzman said. “But we're going to do the best we can.”