Jail Fees An Issue In Mississippi
The devil is in the details when it comes to inmate costs at the DeSoto County MS Jail, as reported by the Desoto Times Tribune.
The five cities in DeSoto County have already contracted with DeSoto County government to pay $20 per day per inmate plus medical costs to help defray inmate costs at the DeSoto County Jail. The question arose Monday whether or not cities in DeSoto County are expected to share in the cost of an extra 45-cent a day fee that helps manage inmate medical costs. The inmate cost management fees amount to an extra $13.75 per inmate per month …
DeSoto County Sheriff Bill Rasco said even though the fee to the outside management firm is saving the county money, officials with the five cities were not contacted about the additional fee. “I’m not saying that after the cities see what this company is saving them that they might not want to participate but they should have been involved in the process,” Rasco said …
The DeSoto County Board of Supervisors has contracted with an outside management firm, Benefit Management Systems of Jackson, that has saved taxpayers $240,000 on inmate medical expenses. DeSoto County spends $60,000 a year with that firm to help manage costs. DeSoto County Administrator Michael Garriga said he couldn’t see why the cities wouldn’t want to pay the extra management cost since the company could save them money. “There’s a benefit there to the cities,” Garriga said. For instance, had DeSoto County not contracted with Benefit Management Systems, inmate medical costs could have jumped 40 percent.
County-City Issues, Economic Issues, Inmate Health Care, MS De Soto County, Mississippi
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