The City has been hit by new legislation that requires it to help pay for the incarceration of juvenile offenders.
At the City Council meeting Monday, the Council introduced an ordinance that calls for using $75,000 of American Rescue Plan funding to help pay for the rising costs of housing juveniles allegedly charged with violent crimes such as murder, robbery and serial burglaries according to Police Chief Nikeo Collins.
The City has previously budgeted only $67,000 annually for housing both alleged juvenile and adult offenders. In exchange for donating the land for the detention center when it was built in 1977, the City has been allowed to pay only $67,000 for inmate housing annually when costs run much higher. Parish Government has been paying the difference in $67,000 and actual costs. With rising costs of juvenile detention, the City must now contribute more to those costs. The $67,000 was spent by the end of April. If the juvenile offenders were housed in a facility within Natchitoches, Parish Government would still assume the costs. Since juvenile offenders are housed outside the Parish, The City must assume the costs.
Collins said the City has four alleged juvenile offenders housed at Ware Youth Center where daily costs have risen from $110 to $310 per day. That compares to $ 15.50 per day for adult offenders. Collins said that 20 adults can be housed for the cost of one juvenile.
Collins said the City has used facilities outof- state where costs are $170 per day or $62,500 per year for one juvenile offender as compared to Ware Youth Center at $113,150 per year. He said he may be ask for more money later and compared the costs to “unchartered territory” because the City has not had to pay the costs in the past. In addition to the cost of incarceration of juveniles, the facility must also pay for educational and medical costs.
Councilperson-at-Large Betty Sawyer Smith asked if it would be more efficient to rent or build something locally for juvenile offenders. Collins said it could cost millions just to add on to an existing facility.
The proposed ordinance will be voted Oct. 9.