penalty for people with serious mental illnesses. Staffing Since the beginning of the 2015 fiscal year, the department has seen a staffing shortage to low salaries, constant overtime (currently nearing $10 million), and the lure of higher paying jobs in the private sector. In response to this staffing crisis and continued pressure from correctional employees, the Kentucky Legislature held a special session and approved an immediate 13.1% salary increase for current security staff, moved non-security staff to 40 hour work weeks, and increased the starting salary for Correctional Officers from $23,346 to $30,000 annually. Shortly after taking office, former governor Matt Bevin included $4.5 million in his biennial budget proposal to provide retention raises for correctional staff. Health care In July 2021, the department won a court ruling allowing it to deny health care to prisoners in order to save money. The ruling pertains to an expensive treatment for Hep C. The medication cost up to $32,000. See also List of law enforcement agencies in Kentucky List of United States state correction agencies List of U.S. state prisons Prison References External links Kentucky DOC Website State law enforcement agencies of Kentucky State corrections departments of the United States Kentucky