NATCHEZ, Miss. – Adams County Supervisor Wes Middleton said the physical, financial and legal perils of the county jail should compel officials to completely empty it of inmates and arrange for alternative housing.
“From a liability standpoint, we’ve got to figure something out,” Middleton said Monday.
While most of Natchez-Adams County’s detainees charged with crimes are currently jailed in Concordia Parish’s prison, some remain behind bars in the 50-year Adams County jail that’s been deemed unsustainable, unsafe and largely uninhabitable. Those charged with minor offenses or have mental problems are kept in the county jail.
Gathered with Adams County’s four other supervisors, Middleton called Monday for them to meet promptly with Concordia Parish officials to ascertain what types of detainees they’ll actually house in their Louisiana prison.
He pointed to the meeting Adams County supervisors had last week with jail consultants and Sheriff Travis Patten, who warned them that the jail’s “deplorable conditions” could prompt a federal judge to force Adams County to take corrective measures if detainees remain in the jail. The sheriff also noted the multifloor facility on State and Wall streets is a firetrap as it lacks access for firefighters to combat flames.
Amid the warnings about the legal liabilities operating the jail, the Board of Supervisors on Monday kicked the public out of the meeting to discuss potential lawsuits filed by jail inmates.
Supervisors have acknowledged the need for a new Adams County jail for several years, but they haven’t been able to determine how to fund its construction.
“Whether it’s $20 million or $30 million or whatever it is, it’s a lot of money,” Middleton said. “Our citizens cannot afford a tax increase.”
The Adams County board budgeted about $667,000 to pay Concordia Parish to take inmates during the fiscal year that ended last October. The costs for the current budget year was not readily available Monday from Adams County Administrator Stephanie Washington, who noted the numbers fluctuate.
About 80 inmates from Adams County were incarcerated in Concordia Parish, according to a daily count reported to supervisors in August. That included about 12 arrested by Natchez police. The city no longer operates a municipal jail.
The city and county last year paid the Louisiana parish $30 a day per inmate housed at the detention facility located near Ferriday about 15 miles from Natchez.
Adams County’s jail was holding about 25 detainees, which did not include the number of trusties and short-term inmates, according to the daily count reported last August.
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