Funding Mass Incarceration: Why Delaware Needs Reform Now

Funding Mass Incarceration is a podcast that follows the money behind Delaware’s prison system—and asks why we keep paying to punish instead of reform.

This episode, we dig into how taxpayer dollars fuel mass incarceration, waste resources, and uphold systems of injustice. We break down government budgets, expose hidden costs.

We don’t just talk about the problem—we imagine what true reform could look like. From decarceration strategies to budget transparency, we explore real solutions that prioritize rehabilitation, community investment, and human dignity over punishment and profit.

If you believe the system is broken—and want to understand how to fix it—this is the podcast for you.

Join us. Follow the money. Demand reform.

Be sure to sign up for our free online workshop coming up in August.
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Transcript

0:06

Welcome back to Stories Behind The Walls, the podcast where we talk about the truth hidden from view, the stories nobody wants to tell, and the reality behind the system that claims to serve us. I'm your host, Annabel. Okay, today we're gonna have an honest conversation about something that should make every single taxpayer in Delaware and honestly anyone who cares about justice, absolutely furious. We're gonna talk about our broken prison system stone. The utter waste of public funds, the total lack of meaningful rehabilitation. And the reality that if you don't speak up and hold people accountable, nothing changes. This isn't going to be comfortable, but I think you'll agree it is necessary. I wanna share today a what has really become obvious in the last couple weeks. Over the last few days, we have been reaching out everywhere. We emailed the Wilmington City Council, our senators. We have shared our concerns about prison conditions, wasteful spending, and the desperate need for reform, telling them to step up and take real action. And today we emailed our governor Matt Meyer, and you know what? It seems like he is the only one who ever gets anything done. That's not how this is supposed to work. We shouldn't have to fight and beg and plead and go all the way to the governor's office just to see action on problems This obvious. Problems this serious. This should be something our entire state government is tackling together. But unfortunately, so far what we're seeing is silence, except from the governor's office, and I want to say that clearly because it matters when people wanna talk about accountability and transparency. They often forget that real change happens only when someone at the top actually listens and acts. So let me be clear. I'm grateful to the governor's office for responding, for taking us seriously, for actually doing something when other parts of the government have failed to. But here's the thing, that's not good enough. Okay. We can't keep playing this game where the Department of Correction ignores us for six days straight. While mold grows in the vents, the roof leaks on inmates and taxpayers get built millions of dollars, millions for repairs that don't actually fix anything. We can't just keep going to the governor every time because nobody else will do their job. And that is why today we're gonna talk about the system because this isn't just about a leaky roof or mold on the wall. This is about a mindset. A mindset that says they're just inmates. Who cares? A mindset that says, sure, let's sign off on$2 million for new cameras. While we ignore that the building is literally falling apart, because that makes sense. A mindset that says, as long as the budget keeps growing, we're doing great. We have to break that mindset. If we want any hope for real reform. Let's get into the numbers because listen, I'm, I'm not just, this is not an opinion. This is facts. I have done my due diligence. I have researched this thoroughly. These are facts that Delawareans should really be concerned about. I'm a taxpayer. I'm sure you're a taxpayer. So let's talk about this. Delaware Department of Correction runs on a budget of roughly. 400 to$420 million a year here in the state of Delaware. Listen, all this information is available publicly online. If you'd like, I could put the links on this podcast and you can research it for yourself so that you can see that this is not just someone telling you numbers that aren't actually true, and on top of that 400 to$420 million they receive yearly on their budget. They get another 10 to 20 million annually from Capital Bond bill. That's your money, my money, every Delawareans money. But what do they actually get for that? What do we actually get for that? Because I've looked at it, we filed Freedom of Information Act requests. It's A-F-O-I-A request. It's under Delaware's, FOIA, law Title 29, chapter 100. The law that law is, is listen. That law is there so we the public can see exactly how our money is being spent. So I have submitted this request asking for vendor invoices and receipts. Who they have claimed that they used$4 million to replace a roof. They claim they used$2 million for new security cameras at the Howard R Young Correctional Institute, while inmates literally have water leaking onto them in their cells and mold growing in the walls and in the air veins. And what's their fix? They just paint over the mold. Do. Do you know what mold does to people? Do you know how much of a health hazard mold is to people? And that's their fix to just paint over it, but let's spend$2 million on some camera. That's not maintenance, that's not fixing the problem, that's hiding it. That's neglect. And let's be real. That is corruption because someone got paid. You paid them. I paid them. And the problem is still there. We can talk about Smyrna Correctional Facility. They claim they installed a new HVAC system, but they have buildings that still don't have air conditioning. How is that acceptable in 2025? We wouldn't tolerate that in our schools or in our homes, in our offices, but somehow it's okay in a prison. Why? Because they're inmates, because they're easy to ignore. I'm here to tell you that's wrong, and if you think it doesn't matter to you, let me me, let me remind you. You are the one paying it. It's coming outta your pocket every week when you get your check and Uncle Sam takes his cut. That money is going to this. You are paying for broken roofs, for mold infested walls, for fancy new cameras and buildings that are literally falling apart. So a building that is literally falling apart. We're gonna put a$2 million camera system in. Make that make sense, Delaware. And the worst part, you're paying for a system that isn't even doing its job. Listen, prison isn't supposed to just be punishment. I'm sorry, it's not, it's supposed to be correction. That's why it's called a correction facility, correctional facility. It is supposed to be rehabilitation. It's supposed to prepare people to come back to society and not re-offend, but that's not what we're doing. We are just warehousing people. We're giving them nothing to do. We're offering half-baked programs designed by people who act like grade school students when it comes to. Rehabilitation. And then six months before they get out, maybe we let them take classes to help them come back into society. But they aren't eligible for these classes in the beginning. They're not eligible for them during their long-term sentence. And why is that? I, I'm not really sure what's going on here and who's coming up with these. Guidelines on the rehabilitation. If we're serious about rehabilitation, they'd be learning from day one. Day one, they'd be in programs to teach them real trades. They'd be getting mental health care. Did you know that over 65% of incarcerated individuals in Delaware. Have a diagnosed mental health illness or substance use disorder. Despite this mental health programming receives only a small fraction of the DOC budget. Individuals are often assessed for mental health while under the influence leading to misdiagnose and inadequate care. Listen, people, these are facts. Why are we not teaching them financial literacy? How to open a small business, how to actually get a job after prison. How to talk to an employer, how to manage money, how to reintegrate into society and not go back to crime. But we don't do that because if we're being honest, the system doesn't want them to leave because as long as they stay in the system, the budget grows. More inmates mean more funding, more contracts, more opportunities to spend your money with no real accountability. We don't see them as people. We see them as paychecks. That is the ugly truth, and it's time we faced it. So when I say we've been emailing city council, our senators and the governor, I mean it because somebody has to say, enough is enough. And let me tell you what's eye-opening. When we emailed the Wilmington City Council silent. When we emailed our state senators, nothing so far, but when we emailed the governor, we saw action, immediate responsive, someone finally took us seriously, and to the governor's team. I want to say thank you again because even though it shouldn't have to be this way, it means something that at least one office in this state is listening. But we shouldn't have to go to the top every time. This is a systematic problem and it needs systematic solutions. Look, I know people will say they're criminals. Who cares? But here's my answer. We are paying for them and they're human beings. There's someone's son, daughter, father, mother, and if you think what happens to them in prison doesn't affect you, think again, because they're coming back to our neighborhoods, our workplaces, our communities, and then when they come out with no skills, no help and no hope, what do you think is gonna happen? They go back to crime, they go back to prison, and we pay for it all over again. The arrest, the trial, the incarceration, the broken roof and moldy walls and overpriced cameras. It's a cycle designed to fail and the only people it benefits are the ones getting paid. So what can we do? We demand better. We demand re real. We demand real rehabilitation vocational training day one. Mental health treatment, real mental health treatment, educational programs that actually prepare people for life outside. And we demand transparency, FOIA, those records. Look at those invoices. Ask your representatives, do you even know what you're signing off on? Or are you just handling, handing them a blank check? Because it's our money, it's our community, and it's our responsibility to fix this. I wanna thank you for listening today. I know this wasn't easy and it shouldn't be, but if we care about justice, if we care about people, if we care about using our resources responsibly, it's a conversation we have to have. So share this episode. Talk to your neighbors. Call your representatives, email the governor, the city council, and the senators. Don't stop talking about it because as long as we stay silent, nothing will change. But if enough of us demand better, maybe just maybe we'll finally see the reform we need. This is Stories behind the Walls. I'm your host Annabel. Stay aware, stay informed, and never stop demanding justice.