WINONA – The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors rescinded an order entering into an interlocal agreement with Carroll Montgomery Regional Correctional Facility to house the county’s prisoners for the next 10 years.
The measure was taken Monday after the board was 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, “Due to the recent confusion concerning CMRCF staff restraining Montgomery County inmates for transport. We will no longer be providing this service 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. Additionally, CMRCF will not provide restraints for transporting Montgomery County inmates.”
According to Montgomery County Sheriff Bubba Nix, in the past, after his deputies alert the jail that a prisoner would be picked up for a court appearance, CMRCF staff has had Montgomery County prisoners restrained and ready for transport. However, that practice changed with the June 7 letter.
According to County Attorney Alan D. Lancaster, having prisoners ready for transport is “customary.”
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 has 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 per year to house inmates.
Nix said without a contact with CMRCF, Montgomery County prisoners can be housed at Grenada County Jail or Webster County Jail.
Carroll County Sheriff Clint Walker said the jail’s new policy regarding restraint is “100 percent about officer safety and community safety. It is a liability issue,” he said.
“It generally goes without saying, but it is common and standard operating procedure among law enforcement agencies everywhere, that the transporting officer secures the prisoner himself (and with his/her own restraints) for the security of the officer, the community, as well as the inmate,” Walker said in a written statement. “Once an officer takes custody of an inmate, that inmate is under the responsibility and liability of that law enforcement agency. 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.”
Walker said that he has checked with other facilities around the state and many have a similar procedure for restraining prisoners. Walker said officials from both counties have been trying to meet to address concerns, however, scheduling conflicts have prevented a meeting thus far.
“I feel confident that once the policy is explained, the [Montgomery County] Board of Supervisors will certainly understand and appreciate the officer and community safety standards that we promote at CMRCF,” Walker said. “I can assure you that the safety of Montgomery County citizens and businesses is of extreme importance to me, especially considering that my parents, my sister and her family, as well as countless friends live, do business, and worship in Montgomery County. It would be unconscionable to utilize substandard practices that could endanger the community.”
In other county business:
• Dixie Roofing, with a bid of $17,985, won the bid to repair the roof of a secondary building at Screw Conveyor.
• The board approved Montgomery County Emergency Operations Director Allan Pratt’s recommendation to move dispatcher Kaitlyn Reddit from full-time to part-time status.
• The board approved Montgomery County Circuit Court Clerk Lanelle Martin’s attendance at the state convention.
• The board approved Montgomery County Chancery Court Clerk Ryan Wood’s attendance at the state convention.
