Testimony in Support of SB 378 – Department of Corrections Oversight

Date: March 25, 2025
To: Chairman Schroer and Members, Senate Judiciary Committee
From: Jerika White, Criminal Justice Policy Manager, Empower Missouri
Re: Support for SB 378

As the largest and oldest anti-poverty non-profit in our state, Empower Missouri is committed to improving the quality of life for all Missouri residents through advocacy. Since its inception, Empower Missouri has prioritized addressing the criminal justice system and its impacts, advocating for stronger Department of Corrections (DOC) oversight and a more effective accountability system.

Empower Missouri supports SB 378, which would establish an Office of State Ombudsman within the Department of Corrections. The Office will provide information to those who are incarcerated, monitor prison conditions for the purpose of helping to ensure the adequacy of care received by those who are incarcerated, improve the quality of life experienced by them, and establish a state-wide reporting system to collect data.  

Almost every public institution has a form of built-in accountability system. From school districts, to hospitals, banks, and even museums. They all have an external oversight mechanism. It is important to have external accountability for any institution that is tasked with providing services for the public. The correctional department provides the day-to-day needs of people who are incarcerated however the accountability system is rare in this department. There are only a handful of states that have any form of external oversight. Missouri is not one of them. An independent oversight system is necessary to help root out the abuse and overall corruption that occurs within the prison system. Most importantly it is there to protect the wellbeing of all those who live and work inside of state prisons. This is a definite need, especially in our state, as Missouri prisons have a long legacy of abuse, harassment, and medical negligence coupled with a pattern of misinformation regarding deaths in custody. 

In Missouri, there are well over 23,000 people living in state prisons. Severe staffing shortages in recent years have made existing problems more frequent: with some prisons staffed at half capacity or even less, that is a major safety issue and impacts the quality of life for everyone inside, both residents and workers are at stake. There’s an increase in the time spent in their cells, limited access to social connection, educational or rehabilitative programming, and medical appointments. The Missouri Department of Corrections has an $830 million dollar budget in 2025.¹ To date, Missouri has paid over $66 million in lawsuit settlements and verdicts since 2020. The range of settlements varied from hostile work environments, sexual assaults, extreme abuse, discrimination and misconduct. Both past department employees and formerly incarcerated individuals have sought lawsuits against the state for these reasons. 

Family members with incarcerated loved ones are kept in the dark about many of the issues and even the deaths that occur in custody. An interview with family members of multiple incarcerated men who died in Missouri prisons within the last few years illuminates this tragic and disturbing reality. There have been many recent deaths in the past years and constant medical concerns that have brought even greater momentum towards the need for correctional oversight. This kind of suffering isn’t just affecting those who are incarcerated. Taxpayers are also paying millions for these inhumane conditions that happen inside the DOC Facilities. It is Missourians right to know how their tax dollars are being spent. 

In conclusion, external oversight is not an oversight solution to any of these deeply entrenched issues, but it is an important and necessary first step towards creating a system that is responsive to the needs of incarcerated individuals, correctional staff, and their families and communities, while also proactively fighting against abuses of power. So I encourage the committee to support SB 378.