TDCJ Chaplaincy
Cost Savings—Gargantuan
Chaplaincy Cost-Savings — Gargantuan — when
Compared to ANY Other Program or Service
No matter how one looks at TDCJ Chaplaincy, it
shines bright from every standpoint.
One of the preponderant items that is usually a benchmark for
success is that of "Cost-Savings."
First of all, every really professional Chaplain
would prefer that everyone look at the Chaplaincy Services
"CONTRIBUTIONS" to the agencies' mission critical functions. That what we know best. That is what we take enormous pride
in—making contributions to the lives of others and to the institution as a
whole. That is almost the total subject
of the previous Chaplaincy Professional Equity Proposal – the large number and
very broad spectrum of contributions and huge, almost imponderable number of
responsibilities that Correctional Chaplains negotiate. So, as always, we would first like to be
granted Equality, full Professional Equity in compensation and logistical
support based upon "contributions" made.
However, even though contributions are huge, even
gargantuan, those contributions have been obfuscated in recent years. Even so in the recent years since the
previous proposal went public. Worse
still, a kind of unethical posturing has taken place to make the work of
Chaplaincy Professional Equity all the harder.
Therefore, in addition to the huge contributions
and because of the negative posturing and further discoveries of improprieties,
we offer this proposal. This proposal
looks at what we consider the lesser to two goods: the lesser being cost-savings, the greater being the inestimable
contributions. When one looks at the
raw cost-savings, TDCJ Chaplaincy is demonstrably cost-effective, with very
credible claims to recovery of its entire operating costs 3x over. There is little comparison between
Chaplaincy and ANY other in TDCJ.
Chaplain utilization of religious volunteers, but not exclusively. Professional Equity becomes all the more
persuasive.
In the following sections, we examine the cost-savings
of Chaplaincy Services. Bear in mind
that what you see here has been going on for 30+ years. As one current example, here is a raw
comparison between TDCJ Chaplaincy and the TDCJ Windham Prison School. Fuller data and a larger continuity will be
given later. But as a snap shot of just
one example, a comparison between TDCJ Chaplaincy Services and Windham Prison
School will indicate a huge disparity, especially since most Chaplains have
attained Masters degrees. Such degrees
are part of the ubiquitous national standard.
Is there anything relevant to Chaplain
Professional Equity with respect to Windham Prison School funding? Yes, and Yes again, if "bang for one's
buck" means anything in Texas.
Yes, and Yes again, if "Equal Pay for Equal Work" means
anything to ANYONE. Given any standard
for productivity, TDCJ Chaplains across the state are among the most
productive, especially with respect to their facilitation, leadership and
coordination of volunteers.
The irony of all of the following, is that as TDCJ
has grown, there has been an effort to – at least on paper – for everyone to
take credit for what chaplains do. That
is, religious volunteerism has ALWAYS been an integral part of prison
chaplaincy. But of late, the documents
are bold to assert how much cost-saving to the state the volunteerism is, but
NEVER indicate that about 90% of TDCJ volunteerism is through its Chaplaincy
services. And no significant report
(public or above the division level) has been made about the following in the history
of TDCJ Chaplaincy.
For instance, two TDCJ Volunteer Coordination
Committee Reports for FY1999 and FY2000, there is the attempt to report on
volunteerism within TDCJ. Every part of
TDCJ Programs and Services and every other part of TDCJ is mentioned. It is noted in the front of the FY2000
Report, in large type this very remarkable statement, essentially the sum of
the entire report:
"In Fiscal Year 2000, the Texas Department of
Criminal Justices received benefits from the time and talents of approximately
21,382 approved volunteers. Agency
departments and divisions reported 119,195 volunteer visits were made to TDCJ
facilities with 501,386 volunteer hours served. These services represent $7,435,554.30 in benefits to the State
of Texas."[1]
Indeed, what an extraordinary contribution! In the 64 page document, there are literally
hundreds of programs extolled and delineated.
However, on closer examination, the entire report is more a summary of
the many human service programs (funded and volunteer) through the agency, with
little actual numbers of volunteers.
When you come to the Chaplaincy section, we find a
substantial overview and then one very small paragraph, titled "2000
Statistical Report."
"105,746
religious services were held during 2000 fiscal year with a total offender
attendance of over 3.8 million.
Approved volunteers served 469,011 hours in 111,247 visits, and special
volunteers from over 750 prison ministry organizations/church congregations throughout
the state served 73,531 hours in 21,140 visits."
Now this is a truly remarkable statement. In 64 pages, including Windham School,
Parole, Victim Services, Substance Abuse, Sex Abuse, State Jail and Community
Justice Assistance Division – in all TDCJ, Chaplaincy volunteers saved the state
$8,045,897.80 dollars for FY2000 when it, which is over a million dollars above
Chaplaincy's budget for that year. Here
is how report 's "Aggregate TDCJ Volunteer Statistics" looks if one
places "chaplaincy" in it.
|
FY2000 Aggregate Report with
TDCJ-ID Chaplaincy Added |
||
|
|
Report Sums |
CHAPLAINCY |
|
Total of Volunteers for Fiscal Year |
21,382 |
not mentioned |
|
Total Visits – Approved Volunteers |
119,195 |
111,247 |
|
Total Visits – Special Volunteers |
25,428 |
21,140 |
|
Special Volunteer Program Hours Served |
94,495 |
73,531 |
|
Special Volunteer Program Contacts |
127,644 |
not mentioned |
|
Approved Volunteer Program Hours Served |
501,387 |
469,011[2] |
|
Approved Volunteer Contacts |
1,677,327 |
not mentioned |
|
Grand Total of Offender Contacts |
1,804,971 |
not mentioned |
|
V
Added for Effect from Previous Paragraph V[3] |
||
|
Combined "Approved" &
"Special" Vol. Hours |
595,882 |
542,542 |
|
TOTAL Cost-Saving for State of Texas |
$8,836,040.2 |
$8,045,897.80 |
|
So, in TDCJ's aggregate 64 page
report of the entire agency, Why does this need to be kept a
secret? What
about the other contributions? |
||
The above is astounding all by itself.
There are other work measures that merit further
notice. And the "chaplains"
that accomplish them merit Professional Equity – Equality. Since the following eclipses the work
of 986 teachers – a basic chaplain
OUGHT to make what the AVERAGE teacher makes based upon Fair Labor Practices
alone. Not to mention the huge
cost-savings to be encountered later.
The above four were compiled from the aggregate
monthly reports for FY 2000 and FY 2001 from reporting chaplains from TDCJ
prison units across the state. About
155 TDCJ Chaplains are reporting with zero clerical help and about a dozen
administrators in Huntsville. Compare
that to the that Windham Prison School's work measures. Chaplains merit equity.
The following is from the TDCJ Programs and
Services Division's Bi-Monthly Reports to the Texas Board of Criminal Justice
(the reports mentioned in the appendix) with respect to Windham.
These are extraordinary statistics in
themselves. A lot of work is being
done.
In addition to ALL of the other demonstrable
contributions to TDCJ's mission critical functions outlined in the Chaplain
Equity Proposal, the figures above and below indicate how Chaplaincy is the
most cost-effective program in TDCJ and how that "cost-effectiveness"
alone justifies EQUALITY, in this case literally contribution to the fiscal
bottom line. While every Chaplain
values education, look at the following.
The editor of this chart admits no expertise in
interpreting the WSD Annual Performance Report. Some knowledge is required of the difference between the school
years and fiscal years and the differences between how the actual contact hours
are culled from qualified teachers as opposed to those in other areas. Maybe the total "contact hours"
are exclusively from qualified teachers.
The editor just could not determine.
Anyway, these are substantial numbers.
However and clearly, Chaplains contribute in a
manner far superior than any other public report has eluded. Given the national standards for Chaplain
competencies and that most TDCJ Chaplains exceed them, given further that many
of those Chaplains have credentials exceeding those of Teachers, as highly
qualified and deserving as they are, Chaplains and the Chaplaincy Services
deserve compensation and logistical support.
Given the numbers above, an average Chaplain ought to make what an
average Teacher makes, especially since their level of responsibility is
exponentially higher by several powers.
When Victim Services is added to this picture, and
the Director of Victim Services is on a higher scale the Director of Chaplains,
by several pay groups, this becomes all the more disconcerting. The numbers don't match.
Neither the number match with the respect to the
InnerChange Freedom Initiative, where their Faith-Based Program Administrators
are leading in a decisively "Christian" program, but they have never
been trained in religion by any kind of national standard. We have it on good authority that the Tommie
Dorset makes nearly the same as a Windham School Principal and the that the
several leads under him are on a scale equal to the average teacher. However, no information could be ascertained
at the time of this document's construction.
Open Records requests for InnerChange data and salaries has been denied
and the Texas Attorney General's Office is investigating three months after the
requests were made.
Instructive is that the 77th
Legislature approved $1,500,000 million dollars to help expand the InnerChange
Freedom Initiative. Which, though
certainly not clear, does say something about support for a program. And Chaplains are by far more qualified than
the administrators of that program, and their numbers are not any less. And it is argued that such support also
argues for Equity for Chaplains, since many Chaplains administrate larger
"religious" programs than that of the InnerChange, and so are
therefore deserving of Equal treatment, at least equal compensation (for they
have far superior qualifications and experience then the InnerChange leaders).
Let the New Millennium Include
Equality for Chaplains
The following needs consideration.
Measure the Cost-Savings and Budget Costs PER dollar
spent for Contribution to Mission Critical Functions:
Compare TDCJ Chaplains’ Direct Work Measures:
Direct Contribution to Reduction
in Recidivism
Direct Budget Impact in
Donations of Literature Consumables
Direct Contribution in
documented reduction of offender disciplinaries
Direct Contribution in
documented reduction of health care costs
Compare TDCJ Chaplains with Dollars spent with Windham Prison School
Compare GARGANTUAN budget with a
miniscule budget
That is: cost per Chaplain is ZERO in comparison with
HIGH cost of Teachers
and Teacher Administration
Compare
GARGANTUAN Work Measure Productivity of Chaplains
versus RELATIVELY Low
Productivity when seen in
Contact-Hour-PER-Dollar-Ratio
Measure
by Equality in Education, Training and Responsibilities –
Equal Pay for Equal Work
Compare TDCJ Chaplains to Windham Prison Teachers
Compare TDCJ Chaplains to TDCJ and Texas Employed Engineers
Compare TDCJ Chaplains to TDCJ Lawyer and Texas Employed Lawyers
The following data on national Chaplaincy Services
side by side with TDCJ Chaplaincy Contributions highlights an EXTRAORDINARY
service to the wonderful State of Texas – contributions that have been kept nearly
a secret by the TDCJ Programs and Services Division and the other agencies
employing state Chaplains.[4] When we compare budget allocations, pay
group levels, budget allocations among the services, especially Windham Prison
School, the comparisons reveal some astounding facts.
ü
ASTOUNDING are the facts of Chaplaincy cost-saving
ü
ASTOUNDING are the facts of Chaplaincy
"ACTUAL" contributions
ü
ASTOUNDING are the facts of Chaplaincy
"COMPLETE" cost recovery
ü
ASTOUNDING is the fact that the Chaplaincy
services provide gargantuan contributions in work measures per chaplain,
eclipsing Windham Prison School many times over for less than 1/10th
the budget allocations
ü
ASTOUNDING is the fact that the above facts are
nearly a secret
EVERY Chaplain values every Teacher and knows that
every offender NEEDS to learn how to read and write. Furthermore, EVERY Chaplain knows that NO ONE is better at
teaching these skills than Certified Teachers.
Most of all, Chaplains believe Teachers are getting a fair wage. It is time for Chaplains to be given equal
treatment, treatment that is given to other TDCJ and other Texas
employees. Equality.
All the above underscores and is "part"
of the TOTAL claim that highly educated and trained Chaplains deserve to
EQUALITY. More than that though, a true
EQUALITY also compensates with a fair wage AND with fair logistical
support. The COST-SAVINGS alone
justifies equality without any further argument. Some have attempted to obfuscate and even minimize the total
chaplaincy contribution in the last ten years, and that "obfuscation"
itself needs further investigation and is another reason for granting
"Equality" in the redressing of unfair labor practices.
With the data and statistics indicating a huge,
even GARGANUAN imbalance—EQUALITY and even redress should be all the more
compelling. When one adds to the above
sentences that ALL of what Chaplains have been accomplishing have been HIDDEN
and that what they accomplish WITHOUT REAL logistical support: then there is an even more compelling STATE
interest to grant Equality and Logistical support for Chaplains not only to
better manage their own current gargantuan contribution more efficiently, but
also to facilitate an even greater contribution.
One fact looms very high. Even with Three
Times the Current Budget, the TDCJ Chaplaincy Services very, very, very
demonstrably
Chaplaincy Services
Recover Their
Entire Operating Costs!
Why then would anyone NOT want Equality for State
Chaplains?
Especially "why" when such total cost
recovery is so easy to see?
Especially "why" when the contributions
are so huge, and the contributions are to
THE
MOST CHERISHED values of Texas citizens?
35 years ago this was not so.
This is a matter of HONOR.
As well as a matter of the Value of Religion in
General.