New Information Could End Ruling Requiring Daily Payment for Housing Inmates in Jackson, Mississippi

Nobody seems to like this plan.

New developments could influence Hinds County’s plans to charge Jackson the capital of Mississippi, for housing detainees at the Raymond Detention Center.

In an open letter signed by six mayors, they raise concern about the Board of Supervisors’ recent decision to charge for housing detainees, WLBT reports. According to one mayor, there are doubts about if the charges could be legally paid.

The open letter responds to findings uncovered by Jackson City Attorney Drew Martin, which could affect Hinds County’s plans to charge the capital city for housing detainees.

The letter was issued in response to the board’s decision to impose the charge last October.

“When you look at an issue like this, you have to dive deep into history and what the relationships have been, and there was some question as to whether a formal agreement had been reached with the city of Jackson and county in the past. And once we discovered what it actually was, I believe that, in fact, will be controlling,” Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said.

City leaders claim they were not informed of the decision until their current fiscal year budgets were in effect. They also say they cannot legally pay the county, as no agreements have been approved.

The Board of Supervisors approved charging municipalities $50 a day to house detainees at the Raymond Detention Center in August, and the measure went into effect Oct. 1. District One Supervisor Robert Graham said the first set of invoices were sent out, but some mayors claim they haven’t received anything.

“One would be when an inmate is initially arrested versus when they are bound over to the county,” Lumumba said. “Once [they] are bound over to the county, [they] are no longer an inmate of the city. Based on their calculations, would we be responsible for that?”

There’s also the concern about whether Jackson would be held accountable for all city residents, even if they are arrested by other agencies, such as the Hinds County Sheriff’s Department or the Jackson State University Police. Lumumba isn’t sure if the issue will have to be resolved in court.

“I don’t want to claim that. It’s too early to tell,” Lumumba said. “The research of the City Attorney’s Office kind of even supersedes those concerns as it relates to the city of Jackson.”