Archived Story
Prisoners bring dollars to county
Published 12:05am Thursday, January 24, 2013One county’s misfortune is another county’s potential gain.
That statement is particularly ironic when the “gain” is additional law-breaking juveniles being imported into town.
It’s even stranger when the troubled youth are seen as potential saviors of a multi-million-dollar, taxpayer-funded venture.
But all of that is true, as odd as it may sound.
Adams County learned last week that its under-utilized juvenile justice facility soon might host a few new guests. Those guests may wind up keeping the lights on at the facility.
Outdated and with a probable lawsuit bearing down, our neighbors to the east will close down Pike County’s juvenile detention facility in a few weeks.
Pike County’s plans include transporting a number of their juvenile offenders to be housed in Natchez.
For their room and board, Adams County will be paid $100 per night.
While that’s not the kind of economic development any of us would like to celebrate, the money should help justify continuing to keep the Adams County facility open.
Adams County’s juvenile facility has come under fire in recent months as county supervisors noticed the tremendous about of money being spent to keep the facility open and staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, even when few, if any, offenders needed to be guarded in the first place.
The news of the Pike County facility’s closure may prove good for Adams County.
However, supervisors and other Adams County leaders should keep an eye on the center’s expenses, however, and constantly ask the question: Does this still make sense for taxpayers and the public’s safety?
