Skip to main content

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 24 Approved IIBF Budget Overview

Budget Assumptions/Proposed Changes

Revenue has been projected based on the most current months’ commission data with the new IITS contract and substantial completion of phone installations and media data services from Securus. The data shows an estimated 50% increase in commissions received compared with the same time last fiscal year. This is a positive sign for the FY24 IIBF budget, and the IIBF budget committee proposed adjusting funding levels and investments based on the positive revenue outlook.

Expenditures

  • Family-Friendly Investments:The total allocation proposed for FY24 Family-Friendly is a 24% increase from FY23 due to the changes/investments below, in addition to increasing event funding levels due to inflation
  • Family Friendly: Lodging and Transportation Assistance Program: This program was started a couple of years ago with suggestions from the family representative, to ease the burden on families when visiting their loved ones from a long distance. This year, the family representatives asked to modify the program to make it more accessible to families and increase assistance frequency and amounts. With the fully resumed visitation at facilities and the increased use of the program, the IIBF budget committee agreed to increase the reimbursable visits for each incarcerated individual from one to two per month with a total allocation of $150,000, up from $100,000 in FY23.
  • KUBI Camp (Kids United by Incarcerated Summer Camp): This program was in operation for five years from 2015 to 2019 and has a long hiatus due to COVID. KUBI is thought to have a meaningful and positive impact on the children of incarcerated parents. There is an allocation of $50,000 to bring this program back in FY24.
  • Family-Friendly Visit Room Photo Program: This program was created in FY23 to enhance the visitation experience at the facility visit rooms by providing free photos to incarcerated and their visitors. The proposed amount for FY24 allocation was doubled to $24,000 due to the increase in interest from families.
  • Family-Friendly Supplemental Pop-up: this category was added last year as 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 facilities leeway in developing more 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.

Other IIBF Expenditures

In addition to the contracted services such as movie licenses, and law library online subscriptions, the newly approved categories is:

  • Facility EFV Consumable Annual Allocation: IIBF formed a special project team this fiscal year to identify areas of need at the facilities with the discretionary $10 per incarcerated individual funding. Based on the data of each facility including numbers of EFV units, and high-use items, we propose a total of $83,250 as the annual allocation for facilities to replenish consumable items at their facility. By funding the EFV’s consumable items separately, not only will it ensure there is adequate funding available at each facility to cover the cost of the consumables, but it will also allow the $10 per incarcerated individual to be used to fully fund other facility priorities. This dedicated funding is a direct result of eliminating the EFV user fees that used to support EFV operations.

The total IIBF revenue projection versus the operating expenditure in FY24 has a positive balance of $783,340. IIBF budget committee proposed using this available funding for the below One-time Re-investment Requests.

One-time Re-investment Requests

  • Wellness Enhancement: This is to provide $250,000 in continued funding to support the wellness equipment at the prison facilities. The wellness enhancement funding proposal started when building the FY22 IIBF budget and continued through FY23 as well. The additional funding approved for FY24 will provide the support to continue the work and further identify the need for wellness equipment for the well-being of the incarcerated population.
  • EFV and Visiting Improvements: As in-person visiting fully resumed, and multiple site visits, the Family Services Unit wanted to focus on improving the experience for the incarcerated individual and family alike. The $250,000 funding is approved to continue the improvement work that began in FY22.
  • Reentry Facility Wellness/Visiting Reinvestment: Reentry Centers (RC)have not historically been included in the reinvestment dollars afforded to the prison facilities. IIBF budget committee requested $100,000 as a reinvestment proposal for wellness/visiting for RC residents.

Summary

The proposed budget before the proposed re-investment is $2,098,301. After considering the proposed reinvestments, expenditures are anticipated to exceed projected revenues by an estimated $81,660, which is supportable by the IIBF fund balance.

The Family Representatives strongly expressed their desire that DOC ensure the funds budgeted are spent. The Budget Group will meet periodically during the fiscal year to review the results of operations and determine if adjustments are necessary. Facility Local Business Managers (LBM) are also tasked with working with their facility management to maximize the use of budgeted funds.

How to request supplemental funding for IIBF during the fiscal year

We encourage families to attend local family council meetings and provide your ideas/suggestions at the meeting for discussion. Once the funding request is identified and approved at the local facility level, the local business manager and prison superintendent will submit the funding request to the IIBF administrator for additional funding request.

Back to Top

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.

Back to Top

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.

Back to Top

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

Back to Top