An aging prison system that in many cases lacks systems for protecting lives and no longer complies with fire and building codes needs more than $300 million in building improvements, according to a new study made public Wednesday.

The Department of Corrections study, which examined 254 buildings covering 3.6 million square feet, found that the state prison system needs $338 million in improvements, of which $164 million are needed immediately.

The prison system’s buildings, constructed from 1860 to 2015, lack protections such as sprinklers and are equipped with mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems that are deteriorating, according to the new study by Carter Global Lee Facility Management.

The study, done from June 2021 to May 2022, was given to the Joint Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice Oversight on Wednesday.

“Realistically, the Legislature cannot fund and the Kansas Department of Corrections cannot manage that volume of projects immediately or even quickly,” said Jeff Zmuda, the state’s corrections secretary.

“The report does make it clear, however, that we must begin to prioritize the needs that have been identified and develop a path forward,” Zmuda told the committee.

Zmuda said some of those needs are currently addressed in the agency’s five-year capital improvements plan and its budget request.

Zmuda, for instance, told lawmakers, the agency plans to seek money to construct a new minimum-security unit in Hutchinson to replace a building constructed in the late 1980s or early 1990s.

“It’s just not holding up to the wear and tear,” he said.

He also said the department wants to build a vocational building at the Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex in Topeka to help youth offenders develop job skills.

In 2025, Zmuda said the agency also wants money to replace the Hutchinson Correctional Facility, where the buildings were constructed on 239 acres between 1898 and 2008.

“Our Hutchinson facility is old and has some real limitations,” Zmuda said.

“Modern correctional practices in a facility that old are hard to accomplish,” he said.

“It’s a great facility, but it’s had its useful life,” he said.

The study showed that the Hutchinson prison needs about $29 million in repairs immediately and another $45 million in the next two to 10 years.

The study recommended that the Hutchinson prison be replaced.

It needs about $8.4 million in work on its heating and air conditioning system and about $8.1 million for interior renovations.

The facility also does not meet current standards established by the Americans with Disabilities Act and the American Correctional Association.

It also has numerous fire code violations, the study said.

The consultant’s report also showed that about $4 million needed to be spent on plumbing and another $3.3 million needed to be spent on plumbing.

Other prisons in need of upkeep were Topeka Juvenile ($47.5 million), Norton ($37.2 million), El Dorado ($34.9 million), Kansas Juvenile Correctional ($23.2 million), Winfield ($18 million), Ellsworth ($16.3 million) and Larned Mental Health ($15.2 million).

The consultants recommended the state undertake a feasibility study to determine what buildings should be replaced and how newer buildings would fit into the agency’s plans for the future.

While the substandard conditions in many of the prisons may be grandfathered in under  current laws and regulations, the study noted that any renovations or rehab work would require the facilities to be brought into compliance.

“Meeting the current codes of compliance may be costly and not economically feasible in many of the older buildings,” the report said.

Zmuda said the agency is in dire need of a funding infusion to address the deficiencies highlighted in the report.

“We really need an increase in the annual appropriations for repair and rehabilitation projects,” Zmuda said.

“Our ability to maintain our facilities appropriately has been diminished with that fund not increasing.”

Zmuda said funding in the Correctional Institutions Building Fund hasn’t been increased in 30 years.

The amount transferred to the fund is set by a formula in state law and translates into about $4.9 million a year.

Zmuda suggested tying the funding to an inflationary index.

Republican state Rep. Kyle Hoffman of Coldwater urged the secretary to make his best pitch for capital funding this upcoming session when the state is flush in cash.

The state is expected to have a $2.3 billion ending balance at the end of the 2023 fiscal year next June 30 and $3.2 billion at the end of fiscal 2024.

“I certainly won’t promise anything and say, ‘We’ll fund whatever,'” Hoffman said.

“I will say that this year is probably a really good year to try to get some of that capital improvement funding,” he said.

“It looks great – $3 billion,” Hoffman said of the surplus projected for fiscal 2024.

“But I think most of us are pretty fearful of what’s going to happen in the very near future, and that $3 billion may be gone within a year or two just because of the economy.

“Right now is the time to really make the ask because you probably got your best bet right now,” he said.

Here is a breakdown of major prison needs
as identified in the study

Institution: El Dorado
Capacity: 1,832
Repairs needed immediately: $10.3 million
Repairs needed in 2 to 10 years: $24.6 million
Major needs: Heating/air conditioning $4.7 million; electrical $1.8 million; plumbing $1.6 million.

Institution: Ellsworth
Capacity: 899
Repairs needed immediately: $8.1 million
Repairs needed in 2 to 10 years: $8.1 million
Major needs: Heating/air conditioning $3.9 million; $2 million exterior enclosures

Institution: Hutchinson/Central
Capacity: 1,788
Repairs needed immediately: $28.7 million
Repairs needed in 2 to 10 years: $45.2 million
Major needs: Heating/air conditioning $8.4 million; interior rehab $8.1 million; $4 million fire protection; $3.3 million plumbing

Institution: Kansas Juvenile Correctional (Topeka)
Repairs needed immediately: $5.7 million
Repairs needed in 2 to 10 years: $17.5 million
Major needs: Equipment $2.9 million; heating/air conditioning $1.8 million

Institution: Topeka Juvenile Facility
Repairs needed immediately: $36 million
Repairs needed in 2 to 10 years: $11.4 million
Major needs: Special construction $15.4 million; $8.9 million exterior enclosure; $5.6 million interior finishes.

Institution: Norton
Capacity: 849
Repairs needed immediately:$25.9 million
Repairs needed in 2 to 10 years: $11.3 million
Major needs: Plumbing $3.5 million; electrical $2.5 million; heating/air conditioning $1.9 million; exterior enclosures $3.4 million.

Institution: Winfield
Capacity: 632
Repairs needed immediately: $7.2 million
Repairs needed in 2 to 10 years: $10.8 million
Major needs: Heating/air conditioning $1.9 million; interior finishes $1.5 million; electrical systems $1.4 million.

Institution: Larned Mental Health/Central
Capacity: 310
Repairs needed immediately: $7.5 million
Repairs needed in 2 to 10 years: $7.6 million
Major needs: Equipment $4.7 million; heating/air conditioning $1.5 million