John Mott Coffey
NATCHEZ, Miss. – Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten said about 50 inmates have been transferred to Concordia Parish as the county jail continues to be crippled by structural and security problems.
About 30 remain in the facility after inmates last week broke a water line that flooded the downtown Natchez building, which already has been riddled with various defects for years.
While Adams County pays the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office to house county prisoners, Natchez officials will have to decide whether they want a similar arrangement for detainees arrested by city police officers, Patten said. Natchez closed its city jail a few years ago and pays the county to house those arrested by the Natchez Police Department.
Adams County for several months has been sending some inmates to the Concordia Parish detention facility, but Patten said last week’s incident prompted him to move about 35 county and 16 city detainees to the nearby Louisiana jail. Remaining in the Adams County jail are about 30 inmates classified as trusties or who have mental-health problems or are charged with misdemeanors.
As the Adams County sheriff and Board of Supervisors deal with the county jail’s conditions, the mother of an inmate appeared before the board Monday to complain about the treatment of her son by deputies.
Lolita Jackson-Moore alleged her son Michael Thomas was subjected to “inhumane treatment” as he was strapped to a chair outside the jail in the heat. However, Patten said Thomas was restrained as a last-resort measure after he was being violently disruptive and attempted to kill himself. He is “the mastermind” of breaking the water pipes that flooded the jail last week, and he has a record of violent behavior, according to the sheriff.
The jail controversies come as Patten faces a re-election challenge today from Lance Adams, a former Adams County sheriff’s deputy now working for the University of Southern Mississippi Police Department.
The county jail’s July 30 flooding incident that Patten called a “security breach” worsened conditions in a jail he says “has deteriorated to its worst state” this year “while the sheriff’s office is left dealing with a situation that gets worse by the day.” Its deficiencies, he said, include being ill-equipped to house inmates with psychological problems such as what Patten said Thomas has.
Meeting Monday, the Adams County Board of Supervisors didn’t publicly discuss much about the jail’s multiple problems as four members also face re-election challenges.
Supervisors did listen to Jackson-Moore’s grievances about her son’s treatment but said her gripe should be directed at Patten. They did review options for moving the Natchez-Adams County emergency-dispatching center out of the county jail building. E911 equipment did receive water damage from last week’s deluge.
Adams County supervisors for years have been considering the costs of building a new jail but say the county can’t afford it without a tax increase. A 2014 study estimated it would cost about $7 million. The building – located on the corner of State and Wall streets by the Adams County Courthouse – has been the subject of lawsuits and court orders for improvements to be made.
Built in 1975, the Adams County jail’s various structural problems in past years have included a leaky roof, broken water pipes, mold, poor ventilation, an inoperable AC unit, electrical problems, crumbling exterior bricks and malfunctioning cell locks.
The nearly 50-year-old facility is also so outdated and poorly designed that “the only feasible path forward for Adams County is with a new jail facility,” stated jail consultant Kathryn Bryan in a 2022 report for Adams County.
Adams County Supervisor Wes Middleton has recommended the jail be fully closed and all inmates be housed elsewhere. Patten noted there are still various responsibilities – such as transporting inmates – his office would have regardless of where they’re jailed.
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