2021-22 Budget Breakdown: Criminal Justice, Policing and Courts | The Numbers Racket

In our third installment of the 2021-22 budget breakdown, the Capital-Star dissects funding the Pennsylvania State Police, Judiciary, Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency and criminal justice measures. 

Let’s take a look. 

State Police 

• $258 million increase for General Government Operations 

o A portion of this increase is needed to replace federal funding received in 2020/21 under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The state police  received $226 million in 2020/21 in Federal CARES Coronavirus Relief Funds 

o After accounting for the 2020/21 Coronavirus Relief Funds, General Government Operations are  increasing $32.1 million 

o This increase offsets the legislated annual decrease in the Motor License Fund, which was created to fund road and infrastructure repairs. 

• Law Enforcement Information Technology, Municipal Police Training, and the Automated Fingerprint  Identification System are all flat funded 
• $5 million, or 42 percent, decrease in funding for the Statewide Public Safety Radio System due to nonrecurring system implementation costs 
• The Pennsylvania Instant Check System is level funded at 2020/21 levels 

o $1.3 million less than requested in the governor’s executive budget proposal 

Criminal Justice 

• $2 million decrease from 2020/21 in General Government Operations 
• $2.78 million for the Office of Victim Advocate funded out of General Government Operations
• $99 million increase for Medical Care 

o This increase replaces $99 million in federal funding received in 2020/21 under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.  

• $1.147 billion increase for State Correctional Institutions 

o This increase replaces $1.157 billion in federal funding received in 2020/21 under the CARES Act. 

• After accounting for 2020/21 Coronavirus Relief Funds: 

o Medical Care is funded at 2020/21 levels 

o State Correctional Institutions are essentially funded at 2020/21 levels with a 0.5 percent decrease, or approximately $10 million decrease in funding 

• $4.8 million increase for State Field Supervision 
• $262,000 increase for the Parole Board 

Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) 

• Funded at 2020/21 levels 
• The Office of Safe Schools Advocate is flat-funded in 2021/22 
• $30 million for Violence Intervention and Prevention Programs to be used for Community Violence reduction programs 
• Support for grants to local criminal justice agencies and nonprofits  — including programs to divert low level offenders from incarceration, support drug courts, and provide for victim services — are all level funded 

Judiciary 

• Flat funded at 2020/21 levels 
• The Fiscal Code, a bill that dictates how each state department and agency can spend their funding, temporarily eliminates the $15 million transfer from the Judicial Computer System Augmentation Account to the School Safety and Security Fund

Juvenile Court Judges Commission 

• Flat-funded at 2020/21 levels