NATCHEZ, Miss. – Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten and county supervisors today discussed the high costs of operating a deteriorating jail that’s been deemed unsustainable, unsafe and largely uninhabitable.
As they continue “sinking more and more money into a failing facility” – as county Supervisor Warren Gaines noted – they have commissioned a feasibility study for a new jail. However, it would be several more years before one could be built.
In the meantime, Natchez and Adams County are sending most of their criminal inmates to Concordia Parish’s prison. However, some – such as trusties and short-term detainees – continue to be housed in Adams County’s 49-year-old jail.
As Patten and the Board of Supervisors prepare a budget for the upcoming fiscal year, board President Kevin Wilson said jail operation costs “seem to be overwhelming” despite most inmates being housed in the nearby Concordia Parish Correctional Facility.
About 80 inmates from Adams County are incarcerated there now, according to Adams County jail administrator Stanley Searcy. This includes about 12 arrested by Natchez police. The city no longer operates a municipal jail and was using Adams County’s jail.
The jail on State and Wall streets is holding about 25, which does not include the number of trusties and detainees temporarily behind bars for minor offenses, Searcy told the board.
The Adams County board budgeted about $667,000 to pay Concordia Parish to take inmates during the fiscal year that began last October. The county and city pay the Louisiana parish $30 a day per inmate from Adams County.
Adams County Chief Deputy Sheriff Shane Daughtery noted Concordia Parish jail officials refuse to detain some Adams County inmates because they’re too disruptive. “They say they’re your problem. They’re causing too many problems,” he said.
The Adams County Sheriff’s Office is responsible for transporting inmates to the Concordia Parish prison located near Ferriday about 15 miles from Natchez. This takes three to five round trips a day and is a sizable expense, Daughtery said.
County Supervisor Wes Middleton has been strongly pushing to house all Adams County inmates elsewhere rather than detaining them in a county jail that’s become a burdensome white elephant.
“We can’t continue to contract out and also run a jail,” Middleton said.
While Patten acknowledged the Adams County jail “is a money pit,” he expressed qualms about closing it completely as a way to save money and eliminate staff.
“We’re barely scraping by right now…. We can’t take another round (of budget cuts),” he told supervisors.
The Board of Supervisors last year adopted a budget that was billed to produce a net savings of $600,000 by not having to pay jailers and other costs related to running a jail. This included eliminating 12 ACSO jobs.
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