Considering that, once it’s printed, Gov. Ralph Northam’s two year budget will probably run over 500 pages, it’s no surprise that even a half-hour budget speech can’t hit all the highlights. But, as Del. Mike Mullin, D-Newport News, (whose day job is as a prosecutor) was quick to notice, the budget includes a major increase in funding for courts and the criminal justice system.
Mullin reckons the budget boosts this spending by $123 million — “a massive increase,” as he put it. In his view, it’s a quiet sign that Northam — who in the past session signaled one likely push for reform when he vetoed some new mandatory minimum sentence legislation — is serious about criminal justice reform.
So, the budget includes:
$2.8 million to hire 29 more assistant commonwealth’s attorneys,
$9.5 million for 59 more public defenders,
$5.4 million to set up a 35-lawyer public defenders’ office in Prince William County,
$4.5 million for legal defense of indigent people in general district court,
$4.5 million for indigent legal defense in juvenile and domestic relations court,
$3.8 million for circuit court clerks to boost staff and $5.6 million to help district court clerks hire help to deal with an overwhelming workload.
The Department of Corrections gets $14.7 million to boost correctional officers’ salaries and $27.6 million to cover the very costly medication to treat prisoners with Hepatitis C. Lawsuits in other states have led judges to order prisons to provide that care, and civil suits have accused Virginia’s prison system of failing to adequately treat prisoners who have it.
Northam’s budget also gives the DOC more than $20 million for other prison health care and nearly $13 million for electronic medical records, a technology that is supposed to hold medical costs down over the long term.
Shad Plank is the Daily Press blog that tracks Virginia politics. It takes its name from the traditional Shad Planking political get-together, though hopefully it is tastier than the roasted fish featured at that Sussex County event. To contact Dave Ress with tips or questions, call 757-247-4535 or email dress@dailypress.com.
