Committee hears security, PREA and door-control upgrades for corrections facilities

Buildings and General Services and Department of Corrections officials briefed the House Corrections and Institutions Committee on Jan. 30 about safety and security upgrades across state correctional facilities, citing PREA compliance and suicide-prevention as drivers.

Joe, the BGS design director, said the statewide security line includes small projects selected in coordination with DOC such as camera installations, door-lock changes, and perimeter fencing. "When DOC has a need, there's kind of fee for space...so this is where they get to say, you know, we'd like to do this in one of these facilities," he said. Later he added the line is intended to capture system-wide small projects rather than major maintenance items.

DOC chief of operations Traxton described on-site realities that motivate some of these changes. "They're very creative," he said of people in crisis and continued that work on ligature-resistant fixtures and observation protocols is necessary to reduce risk. Committee members asked whether some areas are left unsupervised; Traxton confirmed there are times individuals are not under direct officer observation and described training and protocols for identifying and responding to people in crisis.

Members discussed door-control projects at Marble Valley, Saint Johnsbury and other regional sites. BGS said Marble Valley and Northeast Regional buildings are similar and that door-control work includes cell and sally-port mechanisms, video integration and perimeter systems. The committee also discussed "honor dorm" units — self-governed, lower-supervision living units piloted at Southern State — as a complementary case-management approach that can reduce staff workload and facility anxiety.

The committee requested a prioritized list of emergent safety items, clearer work-order tracking and continued coordination between BGS and DOC so limited funds target the most critical PREA and suicide-abatement needs.

Ending: No formal action was taken; BGS and DOC will provide additional documentation and a prioritized list of security projects ahead of budget markup.