Price to keep inmates in Lowndes County Jail to increase

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The cost of everything is going up, and that’s likely going to include the cost of keeping city inmates in the Lowndes County Jail.

For over 20 years, the county has charged the city of Columbus $25 per day for each city inmate being housed in the County Jail.

The national average is $65 per inmate per day.

While the Board of Supervisors and Sheriff Eddie Hawkins aren’t looking to go that high, they have been in negotiations with the city to bring the fee up to reflect current costs.

“We’re currently in a contract with a contractor that provides food for the jail. That contract ends at the end of the year, and we know that it will have a significant increase in cost when that comes up. The cost to house the prisoners, whether they’re city , county, or state has gone way up,” said Trip Hairston, President of the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors.

The proposal would bring the per inmate cost up to $35 a day next year, with five dollar increases per year for the next two years after that for a total of $45 per inmate per day.