WINONA – All 15 of Montgomery County’s inmates being held at the Carroll Montgomery Regional Correctional Facility were moved to other facilities Monday. This action was taken after the July 16 decision by the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors to rescind an order to enter into an interlocal agreement with the Vaiden jail to house the county’s prisoners for the next 10 years.
On Monday morning, in a special-called meeting, the board entered into executive session, however, no action was taken, according to County Attorney Alan D. Lancaster.
According to Montgomery County Sheriff Bubba Nix, all of Montgomery County’s inmates were transferred from the Carroll Montgomery Regional Correctional Facility Monday, with 10 going to the Webster County Jail and five going to the Grenada County Jail.
On July 16, the board rescinded the order entering into the interlocal agreement after its members were presented with a letter from the jail stating that jail personnel will no longer be restraining prisoners for transport. The board voted unanimously to rescind its previous vote on the matter behind a Supervisor Ron Wood motion and a Supervisor Keith McGee second.
The letter stated the reason for the change due to “the transporting officer’s safety and the fact that this service is not covered in the $25 cost per day per inmate fee.” The letter also said Montgomery County would not be able to use jail restraints for transport.
Nix said in the past, after his deputies alerted the jail that a prisoner needed to be picked up for a court appearance, CMRCF staff would have prisoners restrained and ready for transport. However, that practice changed with the June 7 letter.
Lancaster said having prisoners ready for transport is “customary.”
The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors voted to enter into the interlocal agreement on May 7, 2018, after its previous agreement expired in November 2017. However, the agreement had not yet been approved by the Mississippi Attorney General’s office. Without the attorney general’s approval, the agreement is not valid, Lancaster said.
The interlocal agreement between Montgomery County and Carroll County stated that Montgomery County will pay $25 per day to house prisoners at the Vaiden facility, the same rate paid by Carroll County. In addition, the contract required Montgomery County to exclusively use the Carroll Montgomery Regional Correctional Facility to house all county prisoners, except female prisoners unless the facility becomes equipped to house female inmates.
The agreement also specifies that Montgomery County is responsible for all transportation of inmates to and from the facility and must pay for all physical, mental, or emergency healthcare needed for its inmates while in custody at the jail.
Annually, Montgomery County budgets $121,000 to house inmates.
Carroll County Sheriff Clint Walker said the jail’s new policy is 100 percent about officer safety and community safety, and it is not uncommon at other Mississippi correctional facilities.
“Once an officer takes custody of an inmate, that inmate is under the responsibility and liability of that law enforcement agency,” Carroll County Sheriff Clint Walker said in a release. “It is imperative that the transporting officer have confidence that he/she has secured the inmate in such a way that best guarantees the safety of the officer and the community.”
