The Leflore County Board of Supervisors plans to tour Delta Correctional Facility later this week after the board’s president said he’s heard about serious security problems at the privately run prison.
Supervisor Wayne Self brought the issue up Monday during discussion of temporarily reapproving the Leflore County Jail to house state inmates.
Corrections Corp. of America contracts with the state to run Delta Correctional and with the county to run its jail, which is in a separate facility in the same area.
“They’re having some serious security issues out there that we need to address before we do anything,” Self said during the meeting. “It seems to me that the administration out there seems like they’re lacking and not concerned about the safety of the security guards that are out there.”
Sheriff Ricky Banks said he agreed that there are security issues that supervisors need to see. However, he said the agreement to house state inmates didn’t have anything to do with those problems.
The board then voted 3-0 to reapprove the agreement. Self, Robert Collins and Phil Wolfe voted for it. Robert Moore and Preston Ratliff weren’t at the meeting.
The agreement allows for 12 state inmates and expires May 1.
County Administrator Sam Abraham said that starting in July if the county doesn’t provide separate quarters for state inmates, it won’t be able to work the trusties. However, he said the county is not getting a lot of work now, especially not enough to justify to cost of providing a separate place to stay.
After the meeting, Self said he wasn’t sure of specific security problems yet but would know later this week. The supervisors talked about touring Delta Correctional on Thursday or Friday.
Warden Danny Scott could not be reached for comment this morning.
A Delta Correctional inmate escaped during an eye exam in Greenwood in June 2009 and later shot a Nashville, Tenn., police officer.
More recently, the facility has faced problems with contraband.
An inmate’s wife was arrested in February and charged with bringing marijuana into Delta Correctional. On Feb. 28, Greenwood police found a quarter-pound of marijuana and six SIM cards — used in cell phones — inside the shoes of a man who had been arrested and charged with two misdemeanor offenses. Police Chief Henry Purnell said it was part of a smuggling operation at the Leflore County Jail.
Also Monday:
nThe board approved advertising for bids to fix the roof at the Leflore County Civic Center. Andrew McQueen, the civic center’s director, spoke to the board via teleconference and said rain leaks in around the edges and especially affects the bleachers.
The board considered declaring an emergency, which would allow it to bypass the bid process, but McQueen said he thought a temporary fix could be done and that the county could wait to get bids.
nThe board requested permission from the state Department of Health to run a water line from Sidon to Little Round Park.
Wolfe said he wanted to know the cost of the project before voting for it. Abraham said the vote Monday was only to get permission to possibly do the work, not approving it.
It’s three miles from Sidon to Little Round, and the county would be responsible for installing and maintaining the line. It would be closer to connect to Rising Sun’s system, but there would be problems with crossing Pelucia Creek.
nSupervisors rejected bids on a new county barn because of the high price. The low bid was $690,000. Architect John Beard recommended that the county reduce the scope of the work to lower costs.
nSupervisors approved several appointments and reappointments to boards.
It reappointed Wolfe, Duke Kimbrough and John Gaugh to the North Central Mississippi Railroad Authority, Collins to the Workforce Investment Area Board, Dorothy Jones to the Civic Center board and Collier Tillman and John Franklin Bratton to the Leflore County Drainage District.
The supervisors appointed Howard Brown to the East Leflore Water and Sewer District Board to replace Melvin Cook and Willie Hayes to replace Herman Perkins, who resigned. The board reappointed Jeanette Brown and Charles Brooks to the East Leflore board.
• Contact Charlie Smith at csmith@gwcommonwealth.com.
