BATON ROUGE - The Department of Public Safety and Corrections received reimbursements from the Coronavirus Relief Fund for expenditures at correctional facilities that did not comply with program requirements or were inadequately supported, resulting in over $1.5 million in questioned costs.

Those facilities include the Louisiana State Penitentiary, Elayn Hunt Correctional Center, and Adult Probation and Parole facilities.

Of the total payments reviewed, including for Hepatitis C medication, upkeep for weed eaters. lawnmowers and tractors, various repairs, horse feed, chairs re-upholstered, and shredders, 99% did not have documentation to support that the expenditure was incurred due to public health emergency with respect to COVID-19.

6% of those total payments tested relate to expenditures incurred prior to the Coronavirus Relief ZFund period of performance that began on March 1, 2020.

There was no evidence of review or approval of the reimbursement requested by someone other than the employee preparing and submitting the request to the Division of Administration.

The DOC analyzed revenue trends among the few correctional facilities over the last 5 fiscal years and found a $149 million, or 544%, revenue increase, mainly due to COVID aid.

To view the full report, including management's response, click here. For a summary, click here.