Jails to be reimbursed at higher rate for housing inmates slated for state prisons
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The Missouri House of Representatives will vote on a bill that would raise the daily reimbursement to county jails for housing inmates that will be transferred to state prisons.
Missouri's local jails are paid $24.95 per day for each inmate they hold before they are transferred to a state prison.
Missouri SB 50 sponsored by Senator Rusty Black (R-District 12) states that if an individual is sentenced to imprisonment in a correctional center, the Department of Corrections will reimburse the county jail for the number of days the inmate spent in their custody at a cost which does not to exceed $37.50 per day.
In 2024, the state spent about $50 million to reimburse counties for the cost of holding inmates.
On average it costs approximately $45 per day to house inmates who should be in a state prison.
Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett says in more high-crime areas, that cost runs as high as $80 to $100 which is why SB 50, if passed, would be beneficial.
'It would be better for jails to help recoup some of those costs than the $23 we're currently getting,' Puett said. 'It's expensive to run a jail and things as simple as a mattress cost well over $100; uniforms, shoes, all those basic necessities that have to be provided by law. As costs go up as we all see in our homes, the same thing happens here.'
The Buchanan County jail has been fortunate, not suffering from the inadequate rate paid to local jails as much as other counties and has maintained funding from utilizing additional sources, including tax dollars and the inmate commissary.
SB 50 was presented for a second reading by the Missouri House of Representatives on Feb. 10.
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