City of Columbus to have to pay more to house inmates in county jail

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Inflation has affected the cost of everything. That includes housing inmates.

For the past 24 years, the City of Columbus has paid Lowndes County $25 per inmate per day to hold those arrested for crimes in the city.

With costs rising, especially for food and medications, county leaders went to the city with a proposal to raise the price for housing those inmates.

Supervisors initially proposed a $20 increase phased in over 3 years, with the per inmate cost going from $25 per day to $35 beginning with the new fiscal year. But negotiations brought about a compromise that will give the city some breathing room.

“We worked it out to where we’ll have an increase in the county per day for prisoners. That’ll go from $25 to 30 this year – 35 the next – and then 45 the year after that. Everybody thought it was a good plan. The city did too because they felt like it gave them time to prepare for that increase,” said Trip Hairston, President of the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors.

The Columbus City Council could vote on the agreement as early as tonight. If it passes, it then goes to the Attorney General’s Office for final approval.

The national average is $65 per inmate per day.