Knight: State inmates expensive

Cheryl Owens/News Editor
The Newton Record

NEWTON August 06, 2008 04:17 pm

— Newton County Sheriff Jackie Knight was at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday to discuss the state inmates that are housed at the Newton County Sheriff’s Department.
Knight told the board it was his understanding Steve Seale County Administrator had done a financial report on whether it was an asset for the county to have state inmates.
Seale said he had looked over a four-month period and figured in the cost of paying six people to replace some workers around the courthouse and four workers in the landfill and then figured in what the state reimbursed them.
Knight said the county saved $3,000 over three months and $9,000 over a year.
“I figured the daily cost is $27.33 and the state is reimbursing us $25.00 and we are paying Ronald Welch $3,000 a year to come and inspect the jail,” Seale said. “The medical bill is huge plus the food costs.”
Knight said he would like for the Mississippi Department of Corrections to at least send him inmates that can work.
“The last time they sent us about six inmates who were around 65 years old and diabetics,” Knight said. “They had major medical problems and couldn’t work. There are even inmates sitting there that haven’t been classified yet. If they would just send us inmates that can get out and work it would benefit us.
“We don’t classify them here any more, you have to send them off to get classified. Once they are classified you can ask to have them sent back. Once you send in a request they deny it and say that MDOC is in need of experienced workers and they keep them.”
Knight said he would like to have inmates to work on the roads but the county is into a lot of medical bills and they aren’t getting the state reimbursements the way they should for these inmates.
“It would take a lot of headache off me if they were gone,” Knight said. “I can deal with it though, I just want to get workers that don’t cost us a lot in medical bills and can work.
“It has been suggested to me to get a nurse to save on medical bills, but you will still have to send them to the doctor if they are having chest pains.
“If an inmate tells me he has chest pains then I have to send him to the doctor,” Knight added. “If I don’t do something then it opens us to a big law suit. When we take away someone’s freedom then they are our responsibility, that is where I am in this situation.”
The board told Knight he was in a no-win situation but to just let it keep rocking on and if he sends back the ones he don’t want and they don’t get approved again then it is over with.
“I just want to do what the board sees fit to do,” Knight said. “If it is costing the county money then we don’t need them.”

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