LAUREL — A committee appointed by the Jones County Board of Supervisors to address how to handle mentally ill inmates recommended that the county seek assistance from WestWay Behavioral Health in Laurel.

The committee, which consisted of Jones County Sheriff Alex Hodge, Chief Deputy Clerk Concetta Brooks, County Administrator Charles Miller, District 1 Supervisor Johnny Burnett, and District 5 Supervisor Jerome Wyatt, said WestWay is equipped with a staff of professionals who could provide adequate care for inmates with mental illnesses. Report by Laurel Leader-Call.

A member of Pine Belt Mental Healthcare Resources, WestWay is formerly known as the Crisis Center in Jones County. It provides brief psychiatric intervention and stabilization services for adults requiring acute behavioral health care in Covington, Forrest, Greene, Jeff Davis, Jones, Lamar, Marion, Perry, Wayne, George and Jackson Counties.

According to administrators, WestWay’s goal is to stabilize clients in crisis so they can successfully return to the community with access to the necessary community-based mental health resources and avoid hospitalization.

“We came up with the idea of possibly using WestWay and seeing if they will oversee people if we assign a paid person to guard the combative and involuntary inmates,” said Miller. “(Concetta ) says we only serve several a year and this won’t be a terribly big number of people.”

Hodge and the board of supervisors are trying to address a mandates passed down by the State of Mississippi on the subject of holding mentally ill inmates in the Adult Detention Facility. In September Hodge told board members a decision would have to be made on whether to upgrade the current facility or out-source the responsibility to another agency.

“We are under a mandate to get our jail certified to hold combative, non-voluntary inmates,” said Hodge. “If you go back and look at the standards for certifying the jail, we don’t have the space.

“We currently have 200 inmates and 144 beds,” added Hodge. “Lunacies have to be in a cell by themselves and the facility must be conducive.”

Hodge said the Adult Detention Facility, where mentally ill inmates are currently housed, has concrete walls and floors. They also have cell bars and no padding.

Hodge also pointed out that the detention center staff is not trained to handle the mentally ill.

“This could expose the county to liability if we don’t know what we are doing,” added Hodge. “The folks at WestWay are trained and better equipped to handle these inmates.”

However, Brooks explained that the WestWay staff that assists the county with non-combative, voluntary mentally ill inmates are females who are not trained or equipped to handle combative individuals. That’s why it is important to provide someone to handle combative individuals if WestWay agrees to treat combative county inmates with mental illness.

Board President and District 4 Supervisor Andy Dial expressed concern about the expenses involved if WestWay agrees to handle the county’s combative, involuntary mentally ill inmates. After Miller explained that if a county employee guarded the inmates, the county would have to pay time and a half for everything over 40 hours, Dial said it may be cheaper to send inmates to Meridian for treatment.

Brooks informed supervisors the mental health facility that should be utilized by Jones County is located in Purvis, not Meridian. She said it costs about $150 -a-day for the facility to house and care for an inmate.

Hodge added that the supervisors would also be looking at the expense encountered by driving the inmates to Purvis or Meridian and back.

“Either way it goes, it’s going to cost the county,” said Hodge. “This is something we must address and can’t let continue the way they are.”

Wyatt agreed.

“Let’s not wait until we are sued or forced to do it,” said Wyatt.

Wyatt also noted that whatever the board decides at this point will be a short term solution. Wyatt suggested that county officials meet with surrounding county officials who may face the same dilemma and discuss partnering to build a regional facility of their own.

In the meantime, Hodge and Brooks were appointed to meet with WestWay officials to see if they could come up with an agreement. They will report back to the board at a later date.

In other business, Board Attorney M. Wayne Thompson presented board members with revised copies of a contract for fire protection service by the Jones County Fire Council. The fire council consists of West Jones Fire Protection District comprised of the Calhoun, Hebron, Pleasant Ridge and Soso Fire & Rescue Departments; Shady Grove-Sharon Fire Protection District comprised of Sharon and Shady Grove Fire & Rescue Departments; Northeast Jones Fire Protection District comprised of Glade, Myrick and Millcreek, Powers, Rustin and Sandersville Fire & Rescue Departments; Southwest Jones Fire Protection District comprised of Boggy, Johnson, Moselle, Ovett, South Jones, Union and Southwest Jones Fire & Rescue Departments; and the City of Ellisville Fire Department, excluded Ellisville from the contract. Ellisville is the only fire department that consists of both volunteer and paid firefighters.

“The fire chiefs have met and expressed issues with the contract,” said Thompson. “They want independence to operate fire stations the way they deem best.

“Before you today is a copy of the contract so you can see what’s out there. There are only a few departments that have issues with the original contract.”

Dial said there are only four of five departments that refuse to sign the contract.

“The majority of the fire council is in agreement and want to move forward,” said Dial.

Thompson said at this point, the county is hopeful all departments will sign the contract.

“As long as they are doing the job, we won’t tell them how to do their business,” he said. “They are continuing to provide service; we just don’t have a contract.”

Tammy Mental Health Issues, Mississippi

A Mississippi Department of Corrections inmate from the Forrest County Community Work Center mows along J.C. Burt Road in Forrest County. State inmates provided more than 3 million hours of labor during the 2010 fiscal year. / Ryan Moore | Hattiesburg American

Many states’ efforts to trim budgets have resulted in a reduction or elimination of inmate work programs, but not in Mississippi, said Department of Corrections spokeswoman Tara Booth.

She said last month’s budget requests for FY 2013 to the legislative budget office didn’t include changes to any inmate work programs. Report by hattiesburgamerican.com.

“We’re asking for status quo,” she said.

She said although MDOC’s $339.19 million request for FY 2013 is about $73,000 less than its FY 2012 budget, none of the state’s 17 community work centers or four restitution centers will be affected.

Michigan and North Carolina are the most recent states to cut inmate work programs entirely. Several other states have reduced programs, including Florida, which cut its program by about 40 percent this year.

Michigan legislators also stopped funding the state’s 15 work crews this year.

“We actually stopped all but one work crew in September 2010,” Michigan Department of Corrections spokesman Jon Cordell told USA Today. He said the community requesting work from the remaining crew fully funds its operation.

Halting the programs represents a $10 million savings to Michigan taxpayers.

North Carolina cut funding for all of its 127 work crews in 2009 – added back 39 last year – then cut them again in a new round of budget cuts said Department of Corrections spokesman Keith Acree. He said the state spent $4.78 million in FY 2008 – the last time the programs were in full operation.

Seventy-one of Florida’s 184 public work squads were lost when legislators trimmed $24 million from the the Department of Corrections 2010- 2011 budget, agency spokeswoman Jo Ellyn Rackleff said.

New York legislators are in the process of closing seven minimum- and medium-security prisons.

“That’s where the work crews come from,” said Peter Cutler, director of public relations for the state’s department of corrections. “And yes, there has been some discussion of scaling back the crews.”

While the loss of free labor has caused counties and municipalities in other states to rework their budgets, the millions of hours in labor Mississippi communities don’t have to pay for is here to stay.

Documents provided by Booth total the number of inmate labor hours from July 2009 to June 2010 at slightly more than 3 million – which adds up to $21.9 million in labor costs – when multiplied by the minimum wage.

Booth said state inmate work crews provide labor for cities, counties, state agencies and nonprofit organizations.

State inmates at the Forrest County Community Work Center provide labor throughout the county as well as for the Mississippi National Guard, the Hattiesburg office of South Mississippi’s American Red Cross chapter, the cities of Hattiesburg and Petal, Paul B. Johnson state park and Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center.

Brett Montague, readiness and response manager for the local American Red Cross chapter, said his organization appreciates the savings the inmate work program offers.

“It’s a real benefit to us because the Red Cross is a nonprofit organization,” he said.

Montague said two inmates visit his office every Friday to complete tasks ranging from lawn care, custodial duties, maintenance and other odd jobs that don’t involve handling money or dealing with the public.

He said MDOC’s labor donation aligns with the Red Cross’ nonprofit mission, in that using free inmate labor helps cut down on administrative costs and assures that more monetary donations make it to those in need.

“Having something like a commercial cleaning company is not something we want to do,” Montague said.

Forrest County Board of Supervisors President David Hogan added inmate labor is valued by the county.

“We have, probably, an average of five state inmates at each satellite barn in Forrest County,” Hogan said.

He said inmates are used mostly for litter control and mowing of county rights of way. He added they are sometimes assisted by inmates in the county work program.

“It’s a savings to the county residents because it’s basically free labor,” he said.

He also noted that much of the work inmates complete is seasonal – like mowing.

“It would be difficult to have county employees for that purpose,” he said, adding that retaining minimum wage employees for a few months can be an administrative headache.

“But it’s a double-edged sword,” said Hogan who added problems can arise with inmate labor.

He said inmate laborers require supervision by county employees, and sometimes are engaging in disallowed activity, like making telephone calls.

“When you get a bunch of state inmates at your county barn, it comes with some responsibility,” he said.

He said he and the foreman at his county barn have lately made attempts to reduce the total amount of inmate labor when possible.

“I’m not a big fan of inmate labor taking jobs away from local people who need a job to support their families,” he said.

USA TODAY contributed to this report.

Tammy Mississippi, Work Release

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Releasing 89 terminally ill inmates has saved Mississippi about $5 million over seven years, corrections officials say.

About $3.8 million of the savings was in medical costs and the rest was the cost of incarceration, The Clarion-Ledger (http://bit.ly/qoiIHQ) reported. Report by chron.com.

Releasing terminally ill prisoners lets the state avoid costly health treatments and is more humane for inmates facing their final days, officials say. Some were released to their homes, others to care facilities.

“I wouldn’t change anything with the process,” said Dr. Gloria Perry, the Mississippi Department of Corrections Chief Medical Officer.

The department said 18 of those released are still alive, but most die within four months.

Eight have been sent back to prison for additional offenses, but Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps said he thinks the program has done well.

The state could release at least 25 more inmates under a proposed bill to extend the law to anyone who is bedridden. “We will be supporting that legislation,” Epps said.

The released inmates were just a fraction of the 21,400 prisoners in the state’s corrections system and of those released early. But they are among the most expensive to keep behind bars, so their release often yields the biggest savings.

The program does have opponents.

“I can understand the cost factor and the humane thing of letting these inmates be with their family, but the victims would have liked to be with their loved ones,” said Carolyn Clayton of Saltillo, founder of the victims’ advocate group Survival Inc.

Tammy Inmate Health, MS Jackson County, Prison Health Care

Lauderdale County MI can now use a portion of the money collected from inmate telephone service for the local jail ministry program.

Gov. Haley Barbour signed a bill earlier this month that authorized use of the money. The bill took effect when Barbour signed it.
Lauderdale County’s Good News Jail and Prison Ministry provides volunteers and a full time chaplain to participate in non-denominational worship with inmates. It has been funded by local donations.   The bill allows the county to use up to $25,000 from the inmate phone service for the jail ministry.

vericatrajkova Faith-based Programs, Inmate Programs, Inmate Telephones, MS Lauderdale County, Mississippi

Some Mississippi lawmakers are complaining that prisoners get priority over college students in a proposed state budget that increases funding for the Department of Corrections.

A bill passed Friday in the Senate would provide $357 million to the Mississippi Department of Corrections, about $10 million more than what the agency received for the current fiscal year.   The funding bill for general support of state universities was $11 million below what the institutions received this year. State support for junior and community colleges was cut by $2.4 million. “When we talk about fully funding education, it goes down, down, down. But when we talk about corrections, it always goes up, up, up,” said Sen. Kelvin Butler …

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Alan Nunnelee, a Republican from Tupelo, said the federal government requires that states provide housing, food and medical care for prisoners. He said as Mississippi incarcerates more inmates, the costs to care for them increases. There are currently 22,699 inmates in MDOC custody. Nunnelee said funding for education – from K-12 public education to universities – will be supplemented by the hundreds of millions in federal stimulus money.

vericatrajkova Economic Issues, Mississippi

Washington County MS officials have moved another step closer to construction of a regional correctional facility, approving the issuance of up to $19.5 million in bonds, according to WDAM-TV.

The new prison will be a 500-person facility that will house 300 state prisoners and 90 city inmates. The remainder will be county inmates.  The money earned from housing state and city inmates will go to pay off the bonds for the construction of the facility.

vericatrajkova MS Washington County, Mississippi, Prison and Jail Construction, Regional Jails

Overcrowding has plagued the Lee County MS jail since the 202-bed facility opened a decade ago, and while officials here acknowledge the problem, relief is still several years away.

The Lee County Board of Supervisors has agreed to expand the Tupelo/Lee County Adult Jail but hasn’t yet approved a plan. Supervisors say they hope to have one by summer, but construction could take two or three years to complete, said District 1 Supervisor Phil Morgan, who heads the board’s jail-expansion team …

The current jail was built in 1997, but even back then it barely met the community’s needs after its original plans – 300 beds – were scaled back. Daily inmate tallies typically range between 200 and 250, and the jail remains full “99.9 percent of the time,” Johnson said. “We shuffle them around the best way that we can. We can only do so much. We’ve been this way for a while.” In addition to criminal prisoners, the county houses what Johnson referred to as lunacy cases and said he needs more cells to house these inmates. The facility also holds state prisoners because of overcrowding at prisons. And Johnson said the female inmate population has grown considerably over the years …

Morgan said the board has sought federal stimulus money to offset the costs. It also has talked about issuing bonds. Tupelo taxpayers also are expected to foot some of the bill, because it’s a joint venture between the two governmental entities.  But costs must include more corrections officers, Johnson said. With 45 jailers, the jail already is understaffed and needs an additional four guards per shift. After an expansion, personnel needs will grow.  Starting salary for corrections officers ranges between $20,000 and $25,000, but Johnson said those need to rise, too. The figure isn’t enough to retain qualified people for a job that’s sometimes hard to take.

vericatrajkova MS Lee County, Overcrowding, Prison and Jail Construction

Lauderdale County MS suffers the same as everywhere from the revolving door of drug offenders going through the jail.  However, as the Meridian Star reports

… there will soon be another way. Thanks to the efforts of County and Youth Judge Veldore Young, Lauderdale County will soon have a drug court — a court designed to rehabilitate rather than incarcerate drug addicts who have pled guilty to non-violent crimes.  This court, which Young said may be operating as early as April, will be completely funded by the State of Mississippi …

The state has agreed to pay for the court, Young said, because drug courts across the country have been proven to work.   The courts, she said, have been shown to reduce recidivism rates, reduce crime, reduce the number of prisoners, and increase rehabilitation rates. “The success rates of drug courts are very high,” Young said, adding, “It’s not going to cost Lauderdale County one penny.”

… Young said the court will probably start with first time offenders, and said she hopes to bring in a juvenile drug court within eight months of opening the adult court.  “Drug court is designed to help addicts,” she said. “We tend to sentence them and think the punishment should just be punitive in nature … but we need to rehabilitate them in my opinion.”

vericatrajkova Drug Treatment & Diversion, Juvenile Justice, MS Lauderdale County, Mississippi

• With the economy souring, ex-cons in Rhode Island are having a hard time re-entering the employment market.
• Blair County PA Jail will give inmates access to computers to save money on legal research.
• DeSoto County MS is considering the construction of a female-only unit to relieve pressure on the county jail.

vericatrajkova Female Inmates, MS De Soto County, Overcrowding, PA Blair County, Re-Entry, Rhode Island

About 300 state inmates will be removed from county jails, 154 from regional jails and 50 from private prisons beginning as early as January as the Mississippi Department of Corrections trims its budget by $6.5 million.

MDOC will further reduce cost by increasing the number of inmates on house arrest and parole. Roughly 1,225 inmates are on house arrest and 3,000 are on parole.  “We have sent a list of 2,900 nonviolent inmates to the Parole Board,” Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps said of those who could be considered for early parole. However, Epps said the public can be assured safety won’t be jeopardized.

Gov. Haley Barbour has mandated most state agencies and departments trim budgets by 2 percent this fiscal year because of a projected revenue shortfall. The budget year ends June 30. With an annual budget of $346 million, MDOC is one of the state’s largest agencies.

The removal of the 300 inmates from the 60 county jails will save about $176,000, Epps said. The state has roughly 1,500 inmates in county jails. MDOC pays counties $20 per- day, per inmate. The Legislature sets that figure. Epps said he will remove 50 prisoners from private prisons, saving about $1.6 million. The state pays a minimum of $31.70 per day, per inmate to house prisoners in private prisons. There are more than 5,300 state inmates in private prisons … MDOC also will remove 154 inmates from the state’s 11 regional correctional facilities. Most of the 11 facilities each incarcerates 280 state inmates.

See the Clarion-Ledger for more.

vericatrajkova Economic Issues, Mississippi