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February 29, 2008
MS: Senate OKs Bill for 3000 more cages
Senate OKs bill for more prisons
By Leah Rupp •\ February 28, 2008
Clarion-Ledger
Ten more counties could eventually see regional prisons go up within their boundaries under a bill that cleared the Senate this afternoon.
Senate Bill 2642 would create 3,000 new beds if all of the counties opened up jails with 300 beds a piece for state inmates.
Corrections Committee Chairman Willie Simmons, D-Cleveland, said planning for the future is essential with projected state prisoner numbers at about 28,000.
But several critics spoke out against the bill on the floor, saying more money for jails means less for other essential issues such as education and health care.
The bill passed by a vote of 37 in favor and 14 against.
"With all of the enhanced penalties we are passing, we are going to need these beds," said Simmons, adding that even if lawmakers approve the counties to build one of the jails, the commissioner of the Corrections Department would still have to sign off.
The Senate bill passed Thursday would approve Attala, Claiborne, Yalobusha, Tishomingo, Hancock, Lawrence, Copiah, DeSoto, Benton and Noxubee counties to also build new facilities.
But Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, said there are already enough people incarcerated in the state.
"What sort of people are we? Where are our priorities?" said Bryan, pointing to education and health care as areas money should be directed to instead of more jails.
Prisons should not be economic development pieces, he continued.
"Shame on us. We are trying to make money by incarcerating our fellow humans."
Regional jails have to be built using local and private funds, but the state would have to pay a per diem for any of Mississippi's prisoners that end up being housed there.
The state pays nearly $30 per inmate per day plus medical expenses at the Medicaid rate to house prisoners at regional jails. Usually, the money at first is used by local governments to pay off the construction debt.
By April 2009, 1,500 additional beds will open in new regional jails in counties that have already gotten approval from the Legislature in previous sessions.
Five facilities and one extension costing more than $55 million are in the works, Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps told The Clarion-Ledger in the recent past.
In all, with the new facilities that have already been approved, there will be about 4,600 beds in 16 regional facilities in Mississippi.
Other Corrections Committee bills passed this afternoon include:
- Senate Bill 2908, which would authorize the Corrections Department to contract with officials from Smith County for a maximum security regional correctional facility.
- Senate Bill 2136, which would allow some first-time drug offenders eligible for parole. A similar bill passed across the Capitol this week - House Bill
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080228/NEWS010504/
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Posted by lois at February 29, 2008 07:08 PM