Budget panel approves $9.3M for prisons

The Legislature's budget committee has approved an additional $9.3 million for the Department of Corrections because prison populations haven't declined as expected.

The 2011-13 state budget cut about $52 million from the agency's budget after projections showed the prison population would decline by about 2,800 inmates over the life of the spending plan.

But a Legislative Fiscal Bureau report said the agency has indicated the population hasn't decreased. The report notes that the budget estimated the 2012-13 average daily population would be 20,016 males. The actual male population at the end of January was 20,697.

The Joint Finance Committee approved the additional money on a 16-0 vote on Monday.