AGENCY TESTIMONY
Department's response to Introduction 825 on commissary fund return
0:12:17
ยท
115 sec
The Department of Correction expresses concerns about Introduction 825, which would require returning all unused commissary funds to individuals prior to release from custody. They argue that the proposed legislation poses significant operational and safety risks.
- Current system allows collection of up to $200 in cash upon discharge, with options for checks or fund transfers
- Concerns about safety risks of providing large sums of cash at discharge
- Data shows that the $200 cash cap is not a significant barrier for most individuals
- DOC proposes working with the council on an alternative plan to address unclaimed funds
James Conroy
0:12:17
We share the council's goal of ensuring that individuals can access and claim their funds when leaving custody so that those funds are not abandoned.
0:12:24
However, the policies proposed through this legislation would not achieve that goal and further, would put people being discharged from custody as well as city employees at significant risk of harm.
0:12:35
The department provides several avenues for individuals to collect their institutional funds prior to or during discharge.
0:12:42
Individuals can collect up to $200 in cash immediately upon discharge and can request a check for any remaining funds.
0:12:50
Individuals can also collect their funds in the same manner for up to 120 days following discharge at any of the department's cashier windows.
0:12:59
Additionally, individuals can arrange to have their institutional funds transferred to a loved one in the community at any point prior to discharge.
0:13:07
This bill proposes that individuals leaving custody, some of them who have several 100 or even 1,000 of dollars in their institutional account, be provided with those funds in full in cash.
0:13:19
The resources needed to ensure that this amount of cash could be kept on-site at each DOC cashier window 24 hours a day, 7 days a week would be insurmountable from an operational infrastructure and security perspective.
0:13:34
The cashier windows may become targets for criminal acts as would every individual being handed large sums of money in cash at these sites.
0:13:42
Even if the department could reasonably and safely operationalize the bill as written, our data shows that the $200 cash cap does not appear to be the barrier for the vast majority of individuals collecting their funds at discharge.
0:13:54
Nearly 70% of individuals who do not claim their funds when leaving custody have $100 or less remaining in their accounts.
0:14:01
We would like to work with the council on an alternate plan to resolve the long standing issue of unclaimed commissary funds that addresses the root cause of the issue and does not present any of the safety concerns noted.