A limited review of the S.C. Department of Corrections

Abstract

Members of the House Legislative Oversight Committee asked the Legislative Audit Council to conduct an audit of the S.C. Department of Corrections. The committee had concerns about agency policies and internal controls regarding security, litigation costs, human resources’ areas, and inmate incidents. The audit objectives are as follows: Review SCDC’s security policies, internal controls, and classification system to determine their adequacy and if they align with national best practices ; Review human resources’ issues, including, hiring, retention, training, work environment, and corrective actions ; Review the consistency and transparency of reporting of various indicators, including performance measures, types of contraband, types of incidents, etc. to determine if improvement is needed ; Report on the litigation costs and determine what, if any, trends are identified for lawsuits filed by employees and/or inmates.