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Incarcerated Individual Betterment Fund (IIBF)

About

The department has established an Incarcerated Individual Betterment Fund (IIBF). Assets of the betterment fund will be used solely for incarcerated individual betterment activities that enhance security and orderly operation of a facility by reducing idleness, encouraging positive development of family and community ties, and authorized expenses for incarcerated individuals.

Per RCW 72.09.470, to the greatest extent practical, all incarcerated individuals shall contribute to the cost of privileges. Contributions may be in the form of incarcerated individual’s collective contributions to the institutional welfare/betterment fund.

The betterment fund, as called by the agency, will be maintained per the Office of Financial Management State Administrative and Accounting Manual (SAAM).

Budget

Per DOC 200.200 Incarcerated Individual Betterment Fund (pdf), revenue and expenditures will be documented and measured for tracking and financial status and determining budgets. Unspent budgeted funds from the previous fiscal year will revert back into the betterment fund balance.

Budget Committee

Per DOC 200.200 Incarcerated Individual Betterment Fund (pdf), two Statewide Family Council members with relevant experience (e.g., budget, finance, accounting) will be invited to attend and provide input during the review process for the agency budget.

Members

  • Secretary
  • Deputy Secretary
  • Assistant Secretaries, as applicable
  • Senior Director of Business Services
  • Comptroller
  • Business Strategy and Results Manager
  • Financial Services Manager
  • Betterment Fund Administrator
  • Budget Director
  • Other agency interested parties

Statewide Family Council Representatives

  • Felix D’Allesandro
  • Kristel Monte

Budget & Quarterly Reports

Per DOC 200.200 Incarcerated Individual Betterment Fund (pdf), the Secretary will review and approve the final budget for the betterment fund each fiscal year and the betterment fund financial report will be updated and submitted quarterly for posting on the department’s website.

Fiscal Year 25 Approved IIBF Budget Overview

Budget Assumptions/Proposed Changes

Revenue has been projected based on the average commission data from January to April 2024 when building the FY25 IIBF budget in May. With the IITS contract and the completion of the installation of phone and media data services from Securus, the data shows a 15% increase in commissions received compared with the same time of last fiscal year. This is a positive sign for the FY25 IIBF budget, and the IIBF budget committee proposed adjusting funding levels and investments based on this.

Expenditures

Family-Friendly Investments:The total allocation proposed for FY25 Family Friendly “must have items” is the same as FY24 from the primary approved FY25 IIBF budget, including:

  • Family Friendly Events and Activities: Family Friendly Events and Activities- These are the pre-planned family-friendly programs identified and requested at the prisons, reentry centers, and community justice centers.
  • Family Friendly: Lodging and Transportation Assistance Program: This program was started a few years ago with suggestions from the family representative. It was to ease the burden of families when visiting their loved ones from a long distance. The amount of allocation stays the same as in FY24. The family service unit is working on a tool to simplify the application process to have more families benefit from this program.
  • KUBI Camp (Kids United by Incarcerated Summer Camp): This program was in operation for 5 years from 2015 to 2019 and has a long hiatus due to COVID. It is thought to have a meaningful and positive impact on the children of incarcerated parents by providing children with a summer camp experience where all campers have an incarcerated parent. The program was budgeted to resume in August 2024 but had to be cancelled due to an uncontained wildfire near the camp location.
  • Family-Friendly Visit Room Photo Program: The program became very popular since it was created in FY23 to enhance the visitation experience at the facility visit rooms by providing free photos for the incarcerated and their visitors. The allocation was doubled in the current fiscal year, and we are still receiving requests from the facilities for additional funding. We are proposing to add $1,000 for each prison facility in FY25.
  • Family-Friendly Supplemental Pop-Up: This category is considered a solution to provide funding for events that are identified outside the formal budget cycle. This process is managed by the Family Services Unit and allows for some spontaneous events.
  • Family-Friendly Supplemental Program Enhancement: This is a placeholder for SFC Representatives and/or Incarcerated population to make program suggestions that will benefit the incarcerated population.
  • Two line items from this category are being removed. The statewide family council meeting reimbursement costs will be under the Community Compensation Program, and the Parenting Inside Out program has been moved under other funding sources out of IIBF.

Other IIBF Expenditures

Line items under this category include contracted services below:

  • Motion Picture License: This fund the public performance license and DVD move program in incarceration facilities.
  • Satellite TV/Cable Fees: With the support and approval from the Secretary, a new contract was set up with a local diverse vendor Sky Systems to provide TV satellite services for all prisons. This will provide consistent television services to the incarcerated population with more channels to choose from.
  • Law Library Subscriptions and PC lease: This activity is funded in IIBF based on previous legislative decisions. Based on the contract from LexisNexis, no cost increase in FY25.
  • Facility EFV Consumable Annual Allocation and Culture Program: Same amount of allocation as FY24. Funding the EFV’s consumable items and Culture Program has been funded separately from the $10 ADP (per individual allocation under the IIBF non-restricted funding). This provides dedicated funding for EFV consumables and cultural events. which allows the $10 per individual allocation to be used to fund other incarcerated individual activities.

Planned Investments

This area is reserved for the items belonging to the FY25 IIBF Supplemental Budget, except for two line items below:

  • Holiday/Superbowl Bags: This line item has been there for a few fiscal years and has received positive feedback. We are proposing to have a 13% increase in FY25 to ensure there are enough items to support all incarcerated populations in both prison and reentry facilities. The total approved amount is $190,000.
  • Emergency Funding Requests: The IIBF budget committee recommends having this item on this preliminary report based on the following reasons:
    • There is $271,543 available funding from the projected revenue and the total proposed expenditure. To bring this balance to one of the line items under the planned investments, will bring the zero balance on this budget for FY25.
    • With the approval from the Secretary, this expenditure funding request will follow a standard submission and recommendation process and be submitted to the Prison’s Assistant Secretary for approval. This will help the request be processed effectively.

FY25 IIBF Supplemental Budget

With a positive revenue sign and the available fund balance of $12 million, the IIBF budget committee, and financial service leadership started working with facilities on a project to identify the areas that can be invested with the available funding. The team reviewed the proposals from the facilities and submit them for agency senior leadership to review, and the Secretary’s approved $1,686,015 in August. There are additional requests that under the Secretary’s review and approval currently. The approved categories including:

  • Arts programs/activities supplies
  • EFV supplies
  • Library enhancements
  • Music room / activities
  • Recreation
  • Television
  • Unit activities
  • Visit room
  • Visit room-children
  • Washington way
  • Wellness

In Summary

FY25 IIBF budget aims to optimize resources to promote incarcerated individual welfare effectively. It reflects a strategic approach to budget allocation, integrating stakeholder input and fiscal responsibility to support a comprehensive array of betterment activities.

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Meetings & Materials

Per DOC 200.200 Incarcerated Individual Betterment Fund (pdf), the betterment fund financial status will be publicly reviewed quarterly.

The department will host a quarterly event live on Microsoft Teams to review agency-level betterment fund financial reports. These meetings will typically occur on the last Thursday of the month. Dates and times will be posted and are open to the public.

Upcoming Meetings

Past Meetings

Each prison facility business office will be available upon the request of the local family council to present the budget to actual financial reports at facility local family council meetings.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Incarcerated Individual Betterment Fund (IIBF)?

The Incarcerated Individual Betterment Fund (IIBF) is a special revenue fund administered by DOC and used solely for incarcerated individual betterment activities and programs at prisons that enhance the security and orderly operation of a facility. The program is designed to reduce idleness among incarcerated individuals and encourage positive development of family and community ties.

Where does the money for the fund come from?

Nearly 90% of the fund comes from commission collected from incarcerated individuals’ phone calls. IIBF revenue is also collected from media data commissions, recycling fees, vending commissions and contraband.

Where does the money in the fund go?

RCW 72.09.095 directs that DOC transfer 25% of the total annual revenues and receipts received in each institutional betterment fund subaccount to the Department of Labor and Industries for the purpose of providing direct benefits to crime victims through the crime victims' compensation program.

Why has the IIBF been running a surplus recently?

The Federal Trade Commission had been signaling their interest in capping the amount that states can charge and recently voted to cap the amount states can charge for phone and video calling services. In anticipation of a sharp drop in IIBF revenue when the decision goes into effect in 2025, the agency has been saving judiciously and spending less. In addition, spending was severely curtailed during the Covid-19 pandemic as in-person family friendly events and visitation were temporarily suspended under health protocols. Further, the legislature created new funding in the general fund to eliminate IIBF paying for 28 staff positions. All of these factors combined to build a surplus over the past five years.

A child sitting in a Kayak

A child enjoys one of the updated prison visit rooms.

What is the process for requesting funds from the IIBF?

DOC staff take ideas generated at facilities, which may include items submitted by the incarcerated and their families, and determine which ones comply with the IIBF use requirements. The IIBF Administrator prepares a draft budget based on ongoing expenditures, family friendly activity proposals coordinated by the Correctional Services program, and any facility-generated requests. Two family members, selected by the Statewide Family Council, participate in budget discussions and deliberations along with DOC staff. Finally, a proposed budget/spending plan is presented to the secretary

As a part of a routine IIBF policy update, DOC is currently working with volunteer family members of the incarcerated to develop and implement a clearer and more standardized process that involves staff, families and incarcerated individuals.

Who is in charge of the fund and its allocation?

DOC’s Secretary reviews and approves the final budget and decides which programs and activities to fund.

A group of kids standing for photo

Group photo of the Kids United by Incarceration summer camp in 2023.

What are some examples of programs or activities funded by the IIBF?

  • Satellite TV service for prison facilities
  • Motion picture public performance licenses and movie program
  • Family Friendly events and activities for prisons, reentry centers, and community based criminal justice centers
  • Free photo program that gives families two photos taken during visitation
  • Therapeutic gardens and beautification projects
  • Kids United by Incarceration (KUBI) summer camp
  • Lodging and Transportation Assistance Program
  • Law library electronic resources and books
  • Visitation room enhancements to make them more family friendly
  • Wellness programs and recreational equipment for incarcerated individuals
  • Funding for Extended Family Visit (EFV) unit furnishings and supplies

Can IIBF funds be used for capital projects?

No. DOC has determined that capital projects fall outside the scope and financial ability of IIBF spending due to their high cost, as well as a separate capital budget process to fund those projects. Also, the few million dollars available in the IIBF fund would not be nearly enough to cover the cost of most capital projects.

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Resources

Policies

Below are Department of Corrections (DOC) policies that apply to the Incarcerated Individual Betterment Fund.

Laws & Regulations

Below are the federal laws, state laws (RCWs) and regulations (WACs) that apply to and/or relate to the Incarcerated Individual Betterment Fund.

Revised Code of Washington (RCW)

  • RCW 43.88.195: As applicable to establishment of accounts or funds outside treasury without permission of director of financial management prohibited.
  • RCW 72.09.095: As applicable to transfer of funds to department of labor and industries for crime victims' compensation.
  • RCW 72.09.470: As applicable to incarcerated individual contributions for cost of privileges – Standards.
  • RCW 74.18.230: As applicable to business enterprises revolving account.

Washington Administrative Code (WAC)

Publications

Below are Department of Corrections (DOC) publications that apply to the Incarcerated Individual Betterment Fund.

Resource Links

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