Corrections costs keep rising — but are we buying safer communities?

A prison sentence ends on a particular day. The public’s stake in what happens next does not.

Former inmates, released and coming home, must find work, meet supervision requirements and live without harming anyone else. Whether prison prepared them matters to everyone in the community receiving them.

The Justice Department has estimated that approximately 95 percent of incarcerated people will eventually be released . Taxpayers should expect corrections to prepare them for that return.

States spent an estimated $80.4 billion on corrections in fiscal 2025, up from $74.5 billion two years earlier. Those figures include capital spending and are not adjusted for inflation.

Pennsylvania shows what that pressure looks like. Its average cost per incarcerated person rose from $169.71 to $197.63 per day over five fiscal years. The department says the increase largely tracked inflation as the custodial population remained relatively stable in recent years.

But rising costs do not guarantee larger budgets. Texas leaders recently directed state agencies to reduce their base budget requests by 3 percent for the 2028-2029 period. Corrections leaders still have to maintain security, support officers and prepare people for release. Governors should give them the authority to improve operations and reward better performance. Savings that leave more victims behind are no bargain.

A budget cannot capture the fear of returning to work, the loss of a livelihood or the absence of someone who will never come home. And when another crime follows release, the greatest cost falls on the victim.

Preventing that harm belongs at the center of how we judge corrections.

I saw what better operations could mean while leading a facility holding people from four jurisdictions whose populations had to remain separate. We listened to both staff and incarcerated people, improved routines and made expectations clearer. Turnover fell so low that we went three years without needing a new academy.

That experience taught me that working conditions and leadership belong in the budget conversation.

Today, the national Safe Inside project reports more than $2 billion in correctional overtime spending in 2024, nearly twice the amount in 2019. A system struggling to keep its staff needs more than another recruiting campaign.

Governors should reward correctional leaders and facility teams for safer prisons, stronger staff retention and lower recidivism after release. Set clear expectations and let facilities share in the benefits of their success.

Arizona offers a practical example. After it adopted probation reforms emphasizing incentives and evidence-based supervision, new felony convictions among probationers fell by 31 percent over two years . Today, state law ties probation incentive funding to reduced prison admissions , supporting treatment, training and officer recognition. The lesson for prison leadership: Make public safety the goal, measure progress and reward verified success.

Governors and legislators should make this a statewide requirement. The next corrections budget should require every facility to have a funded improvement plan, measurable targets and authority over defined spending decisions within 12 months — and report progress publicly each year.

Three changes would put that commitment into practice. First, make preparation part of the sentence. Assess literacy, work skills and treatment needs at intake. Set expectations for conduct and participation. Before lawful release, verify identification, housing arrangements, necessary treatment appointments and connections to supervision and employment services. Put someone in charge of making that transition happen.

Second, measure performance fairly. Report violence, staff retention, overtime and release preparation in correctional facilities. Track employment and new offenses afterward, distinguishing crimes from supervision violations. Independent evaluators should compare similar populations and account for risk and transfers. Wardens cannot control every decision after release, but they can answer for preparation. Governors remain responsible for adequate resources and services across the system.

Third, give wardens and their teams a defined operating budget, financial training and authority to manage it. Monthly reports should show spending, what drives overtime and which costs they can control. Central offices should retain audits, statewide purchasing and safety requirements while allowing approved local decisions.

Make verified improvement count toward promotions and authorized team awards. Allow facilities to carry forward an approved share of demonstrated savings for staff development and effective programs. Require corrective action when results fall short. Cutting necessary care, leaving security posts unfilled or hiding incidents must never qualify as success.

Secure confinement remains necessary for dangerous people. Preparing people for lawful release protects the public without excusing crime or promising everyone will change.

Recognizing the possibility of change asks nothing of a victim’s forgiveness. It places a demand on the person who caused the harm. Take responsibility. Develop useful skills. Meet your obligations. Stop creating victims.

Taxpayers should ask their governors to put these expectations into the next budget. Rising costs may finally get our attention. The next potential victim is why we must act.

Brian Koehn is a former warden and founder and CEO of Social Purpose Corrections , a nonprofit focused on corrections and reentry.