NEWS

December 16, 2010
Corrections director retained

Iowa Corrections Director John Baldwin, who will be retained by Gov.-elect Terry Branstad, says he doesn't anticipate building any additional state prisons, and he hopes to limit increases in the inmate population. Branstad announced Wednesday he plans to keep Baldwin on staff.

Baldwin, 60, is a Fort Dodge native who was appointed head of the Department of Corrections in 2007. He has spent more than three decades as a state prison administrator. Branstad noted that a U.S. Justice Department study last year showed Iowa with the second-lowest correctional costs nationally. "John's experience ... will serve him well in my administration,"

Branstad said in a statement. During Branstad's previous tenure as governor, the state built three new state prisons, in Clarinda, Fort Dodge and Newton, and saw a dramatic increase in the number of inmates. Iowa is now in the midst of constructing a new $131 million maximum-security prison to replace the antiquated Iowa State Penitentiary at Fort Madison, as well as spending $68 million to expand and renovate the state women's prison at Mitchellville.

Baldwin said in an interview Wednesday he doesn't see the need for building additional state prisons beyond the work Iowa lawmakers have already approved. The inmate population is relatively stable at about 8,900 inmates in nine state prisons, and he said he hopes to curb further growth by improving prison treatment programs and by bolstering programs for inmates re-entering Iowa's communities.

"We promised years ago ... that if we can work on programs and know which ones are successful, we can mitigate the increases in our prison population, and I think we have done that," Baldwin said. The department is also responsible for about 29,000 offenders statewide who participate in community corrections programs such as parole, probation and work-release.

The agency has about 3,800 employees and an annual budget of about $340 million. Baldwin said one of his priorities will be addressing mental health issues because about 40 percent of all inmates suffer from a psychiatric illness. He also wants to make sure Iowa's prisons are safe for staff and offenders, and to hire more employees to ensure adequate staffing levels - although boosting staffing is a long-term goal because of state budget troubles.

At its peak, the Department of Corrections had about 4,200 employees. Baldwin is paid $142,000 annually. He has a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Iowa and a master's degree in political science and public administration from Iowa State University.

He worked fall weekends in Iowa for about 30 years as a football referee, throwing penalty flags and signaling touchdowns at high school and college games until retiring in 2006.

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