COLDWATER (WTVB) - Workers at the State Prison Complex in Coldwater are probably wondering how safe their jobs are as Governor Snyder gets ready to unveil his budget proposal tomorrow. The spending plan includes a reported 400-million dollars in planned cuts for the Department of Corrections. Nearly a quarter of all government spending in Michigan is for prisons with the corrections budget at 1.9 billion dollars.
The top concern for D-O-C employees is the possible outsourcing of jobs to private companies. The state says it’s one way to save money, but it also could cost prison cooks, psychologists, and teachers, among others, their jobs. The state’s projected budget deficit for the fiscal year that starts October First is 1.8 billion dollars.
Meanwhile, Prison inmates are cashing in at the expense of the Internal Revenue Service. An IRS report says prisoners stole nearly 40-million-dollars in 2009 by filing false and fraudulent tax returns. That's nearly three times the amount prisoners scammed five years ago. The IRS says the recapture process can take several years.
