CJPC Legislative Criminal Justice Policy Brief

North Carolina's Budget Crisis Digs Deep into Social Programs

The House has passed a budget and it reflects deep cuts to many important services in state government. While the complete elimination of statewide community-based corrections programs appear to have been avoided, deep cuts are forcing program eliminations right now in individual districts.

Sentencing Services programs in Person, Stokes, McDowell, and Wayne, for example, are packing their boxes today and closing their doors. That is the case even though judges, legislators and citizens want to be able to have community-based options at sentencing in those communities. More cuts are on the way. Very deep cuts still remain that will dramatically affect the ability of community-based corrections programs to protect public safety and provide services. It's likely that rural areas will be the hardest hit.

Budget conferees have already been appointed. Click link for complete lists of House and Senate members appointed to the conference committee that will iron out final budget decisions.

Conferees are moving at lightning speed and may have a completed budget document prepared as early as Monday, June 22. A Joint Justice and Public Safety Appropriations meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 22 at 4pm with more updates to follow.

Budget writers are also likely to prepare a continuing resolution to keep state government functioning after June 30 while legislators wrangle over whether to raise additional revenue. The continuing budget resolution will be important to a great number of programs. If a program is in the conference budget with a cut, for example, that cut may well be imposed on June 30 even if the legislature has not prepared a final budget. As a result, programs in some districts may be forced to completely close their doors and then re-open if any more funds are available.

Programs that are funded through county government, such as the Criminal Justice Partnership Program, may receive no dollars at all after June 30th until the budget is completed. Some counties have not been willing - or able - to tide programs over during the period it takes to complete budget negotiations.

Cuts Felt Throughout the State
Cuts will also affect home care for the sick, care for the developmentally disabled and mentally ill, and educational programs for autistic and hearing impaired children. These cuts continue to fundamentally alter the safety net for families with special needs across the state.

One can only imagine that the depth and breadth of the cuts will simply increase both a formal and informal policy that sends an increasing number of people to prison - the most expensive option of all.

Indigent Defense & Capital Representation Cuts

In the Justice and Public Safety budget, cuts still abound. Attorneys representing indigent defendants are receiving cuts and delayed payments, Prisoners Legal Services and the Center for Death Penalty Litigation are cut. The list goes on and on. All inmate Community Work Crews will be eliminated and road squads will be reduced by 20%.

New funds are limited to stimulus dollars and the DOC will get new dollars to purchase 400 VIPER radios and to establish probation intake positions in urban areas.

More Revenue Needed
The Governor joins many other groups including Together NC and HK on J in calling for an additional increase in revenue to 1.5 billion - more than twice what the House was able to include. This amount would help ease the depth of the cuts unless it is all applied to one area - such as education. In that case, education would be made whole - a good thing - but other much-needed services would continue to be crippled.

There remain many questions about where the dollars for a 1.5 billion revenue package would come from. The House voted down tax increases for cigarettes, beer and wine. Many House members are insistent - and rightly so - on insuring that tax increases on services apply to highly paid professional services if they are going to be imposed on those that are less highly paid. We do hope members will find ways to raise these dollars without imposing an unfair burden on low income families. We also hope they will apply restored dollars in the fairest possible way - not just to one section of the budget.