The Governor today signed HB 4831, the minibus bill, which includes the Department of Corrections’ $1.88 billion total budget ($1.79 billion general fund) for Fiscal Year 2006. The minibus bill provides funding for the Newberry Correctional Facility and Camp Manistique, the Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Initiative and prisoner education programs. In addition it contains no employee concessions.

As expected, the Governor implemented a line item veto on the portion of the budget funding the Michigan Youth Correctional Facility (MYC) in Baldwin. Prisoners currently housed at the facility will soon be relocated into other DOC facilities. Staff at the youth facility are employees of the Boca Raton, Fla.-based GEO Group, Inc. Today a team from the DOC Bureau of Human Resources and the Michigan Department of Civil Service are meeting with those staff about employment opportunities within the state.

"We’re pleased to be able to offer the GEO staff some employment opportunities," said Director Patricia L. Caruso. "We’re meeting with MYC staff today to go over the options. The Department of Corrections has facilities and field offices across the state.

We’ll be looking at what is available in other state departments as well and work to maximize employment opportunities for all current MYC employees."

Michigan Department of Corrections FYI 092905