HINDS COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – The Hinds County Board of Supervisors began having discussions this week about assessing fees associated with housing detainees.
“We currently house detainees from 14 area agencies. Our costs are rising daily,” Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones told supervisors on Monday, July 1.
In 2023, officials said Hinds County spent in excess of $2 million on food alone.
“We are having to explore all of our options to not only ensure that we provide quality services, but to do it as efficiently and effectively as possible,” said Hinds County Supervisor Robert Graham, District 1.
Even though some of the detainees have been moved to CoreCivic in Tallahatchie County to ease overcrowding, Jones said the numbers are still high and that the Hinds County Detention Center is at capacity.
“We’ve got to look at what we are spending to house these detainees in other facilities. I’m a proponent of cost saving measures and we cannot continue spending out when we are not taking in or receiving any fees associated with housing detainees,” said Hinds County Supervisor Wanda Evers, District 4.
| Inmate Medical Services FY23 | |
| Sheriff’s Office | $4,451,676.91 |
| Juvenile Justice Center | $289,048.15 |
| Combined Total | $4,740,725.06 |
The supervisors have not made a final decision on the measure and will continue their discussions.