A bill to raise the daily reimbursement rate for housing state inmates advanced with broad bipartisan support last week, as Louisiana lawmakers seek to ease financial pressure on local correctional facilities while acknowledging the increase still falls short of covering true costs. This is especially true in Washington Parish, where Sheriff Jason Smith pointed out that even with extremely careful budgetary management, the true cost per inmate is more than even the increased state reimbursement.
House Bill 143, the prison-reimbursement bill authored by Rep. Tony Bacala, R-Prairieville, focuses on increasing the per diem rate paid to local correctional facilities that house state inmates. The bill would increase the rate from $26.39 to $29.39 beginning in Fiscal Year 2027-28 and each year after.
But $29.39 per inmate is still less than the actual cost, Sheriff Smith pointed out.
He said, “"The reality is that even after trying to maintain good stewardship with cost-saving measures, the current rates fall short of the true $35 a day cost per inmate. As costs continue to rise in today's world, the overcrowding and sinking of our jail leads to unsustainable conditions for both inmates and staff."
The prison-reimbursement bill moved forward with no opposition, signaling widespread agreement among lawmakers that adjustments are overdue.
The bill carries a fiscal note of approximately $17 million, but Bacala said this would not be entirely new spending. He described the measure as a way to align existing appropriations with statutory requirements, noting that the increase has effectively already been budgeted for Fiscal Year 2026-27.
The discussion around HB 143 centers on the growing role of local correctional facilities, often overseen by parish sheriffs. These facilities have expanded services for inmates in recent years, offering programs such as GED education, technical training and work-release opportunities that allow certain inmates to transition back into the workforce.
Despite these enhancements, reimbursement rates from the state have not kept pace with the rising costs and expanded responsibilities.
Bacala acknowledged that the proposed increase still does not fully meet the needs of local facilities, as Sheriff Smith said.
"This bill doesn't even pay them a fair rate. It just pays them a more fair rate," Bacala said, highlighting that lawmakers see the measure as a step in the right direction rather than a final solution.
At the Washington Parish Jail, of the 222 current inmates, 68 are state prisoners. Thus, even with the increased state rate, the Sheriff’s Office is currently running a $381 daily deficit just for keeping state prisoners. That’s more than $11,500 per month, on average.
