Hinds County Falling Behind on Regional Jail
Hinds County MS is behind other counties in setting up a regional jail facility.
In early 2007, state lawmakers named Hinds, Alcorn, Washington and Yazoo counties as locations for regional jails to house state and county inmates. Unlike the other counties, Hinds has no building plans and no timetable for construction. Officials are looking at three possible locations for the county’s 550-bed regional jail in Raymond. The lack of action by Hinds officials frustrates Chris Epps, the commissioner of Mississippi’s Department of Corrections. “I just really wish we could get something going because it would cut down on crime,” Epps said. “They don’t even have the land” selected for a jail site.
The other counties are far ahead in planning and construction:
Alcorn County has picked a site for its 450-bed regional jail, and the land is ready for construction, which could be completed in just over a year. Alcorn will submit the final design for its regional jail to the state in about a week. Washington County has its 500-bed regional jail designed and is close to picking a site. Yazoo County has two sites it is readying for its 450-bed facility, and the state should be reviewing those plans soon, Epps said. In Chickasaw County, a 450-bed regional that includes an existing 148-bed county jail, is also nearing construction.
More on the issues in Hinds County see the Clarion Ledger.
MS Alcorn County, MS Chickasaw, MS Hinds County, MS Washington County, MS Yazoo County, Mississippi