STEVEN A. McCALEB
103 ALVERADO DRIVE
LONG BEACH, MISSISSIPPI 39560
PHONE & FAX: (228)-868-8428
E-MAIL: mccaleb5thdist@aol.com
WEB SITE: www.mississippiwebsite.com
STEVEN A. McCALEB
103 ALVERADO DRIVE
LONG BEACH, MISSISSIPPI 39560
PHONE & FAX: (228)-868-8428
E-MAIL: mccaleb5thdist@aol.com
WEB SITE: www.mississippiwebsite.com
By ROBIN FITZGERALD
THE SUN HERALD
Friday, September 08, 2006
State inmates do not pay taxes, and Mississippi
need all the tax
money it can get.
If you hire people to do the free work the state inmates do, these
workers will pay taxes.
The Mississippi Department of Corrections plans to move 500 inmates from county work programs to regional and private jails. What it costs per day to house a state inmate:
State prison: $42.91.
Regional/private jail: $36.
County jail/work center: $20.
Money is not an issue here, the money is being spent even if the bed is empty.
State inmates assigned to the Harrison County Sheriff's Work Center performed more than $1.9 million in free community services last year. The county stands to lose 46 of its 72 inmate workers if the state prison system decides to move them into regional or private jails.
I wonder what the amount of taxes would have been paid on the $1.9 million in free labor.
I was in the Naval Seabees for over twenty (20) years, we were not allowed to work in the private sector, because it would have taken job away for the private sector. (TAXES)
Examples of inmate work:
Loss of state taxes!
City and county governments use inmates to clean, paint and maintain buildings and grounds, cut grass, pick up litter, and repair automobiles.
But when you use free labor and not the private sector it takes jobs away.
This is why our taxes go up, just check the states projected revenue shortfall.
Nonprofit services, such as Habitat for Humanity, Feed My Sheep, Humane Society of South Mississippi and Harrison County Animal Control, use inmates to help run their programs.
That is a lot of jobs which could be filled.
Inmates also help set up for and clean up after parades and other approved activities.
It seems our state inmates do more work than what is required.
-HARRISON COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT
I believe inmates should not do any work, they should do there time and then go back to work in the private sector.
GULFPORT - Harrison County residents will lose thousands of dollars in free community services if the state Department of Corrections decides to move inmates out of county work programs and into private or regional jails.
The Harrison County residents will gain much more in state taxes by hiring Mississippian's to do the work of the inmates.
State legislators have directed the Mississippi Department of Corrections to move about 500 inmates into private and regional prisons starting July 1. Lawmakers made the decision in their last session after learning that the state has more prison beds than prisoners.
I would like to think that our Mississippi legislatures are making this change for the good of the people.
They understand if the do not increase the tax dollars they may have to quit spending our money, and that is something that scares an elected offical.
Corrections Commissioner Robert L. Johnson plans to fill the empty beds with the nonviolent state inmates who are housed at county work centers.
I do not understand the difference between violent and nonviolent inmates.
Bed's are bed's, and our taxpayers dollars pay for the bed's whether being used of not.
So I do not see where sheriff Payne has a leg to stand on in his fight to keep his free working force.
The plan means the Harrison County Sheriff's Work Center could lose 46 of its 72 inmates, who performed more than $1.9 million in free community services last year. Inmates assigned to a work center are nonviolent offenders who earn time off their sentence in return for community work.
This is a catch 22, on one hand by using inmates for free labor Mississippi is good for the organizations receiving the free labor. On the other hand Mississippi will lose needed tax revenue from people hired to do the same labor as the free inmates.
Mississippi's prison system has 20,766 beds for its 18,258 inmates.
That leaves 2508 empty beds with are paid for even if they are not used.
So the argument by Sheriff Payne is not a viable argument, but it is a great "get reelected" way to go.
The average daily cost to house an inmate, according to the latest figures from MDOC, is $42.91. But that's only for those in a state prison. The cost is $36 per day in a private or regional jail, compared to $20 a day in a county work program such as the one on Lorraine Road in Gulfport.
Again, the cost of housing inmates does not enter into the solution here, the bed are paid for whether used or unused.
If fact, one way to look at the problem is that filling the most expensive bed first since those bed are paid for.
Sometimes cheaper is not the best way to go.
"It doesn't make a lot of sense to me," said Harrison County Sheriff George H. Payne Jr., "because we can keep them much cheaper.
Free labor is always in demand, and since inmates are always available, I can see where know organization wants to loose there free labor.
"If I lose 46 inmates, it's going to hurt the people of Harrison County. These inmates do everything from cutting grass at ballfields to working at senior citizen areas. We're going to fight this."
Why would Sheriff Payne want to fight our elected officials. I am sure this did not come as a surprise, there had to be discussions on this matter.
Attorney General Mike Moore on Tuesday said he plans to help Payne and other sheriffs fight the move.
If Attorney General, Mike Moore, is going to help fight other elected officials. I hope it is nothing like his opinion on our Harrison County Supervisors and there spending of escrow account.
"There's other state inmates, about 400 or so, that can be moved instead of taking away those that are working and saving counties millions of dollars a year," Moore said.
You would think Sheriff Payne would want as much tax state revenue, it seems our sheriff department is always needing more money to do there jobs.
He just stated that he is saving millions of dollars a year, but not one dollar goes for tax revenue.
So, on one hand the sheriff never has enough taxpayers money to do his job.
On the other hand, he provides millions of dollars in free labor by using inmates.
I am confused, and I know Attorney General, Mike Moore is.
Whatever it takes to get re-elected - that is the name of the game.
The state has 5,371 inmates at Parchman, which has 5,631 beds. Other state inmates are housed at 10 regional jails and two private jails. The private jails are in the Delta and in Marshall County. The regional jail closest to the Coast is in Stone County.
What does this statement have to do with using inmates for free labor.
The Legislature wants MDOC to increase the number of state inmates in regional prisons from 200 to 230, and to increase the number of inmates in private prisons from over 700 to 900. The state must pay for the beds in regional and private prisons, even if they are empty.
And this should open many job positions to people which will pay state taxes, then our elected officials will have more taxpayers money to spend.
It seems our elected officials never have enough of the taxpayers and voters money in Mississippi to spend.
I am begging to believe the prerequisite to become an elected official is not being able to say or spell the word, "Surplus."
Johnson says he has three options: to pay for empty beds at regional or private jails, empty state beds to fill those beds, or pull inmates out of county work programs.
Let's see, inmates free labor or hire people that will pay state taxes.
I don't know what do you think?
"We don't need as many beds as we've got," Johnson said, "but once the Legislature makes a decision, I have to make it work."
How does one decide how many bed Mississippi needs?
Is there a science on how to figure this problem out?
A legislative report on prison costs and needs will be released in a week or so, and could show alternatives.
There are always alternatives, but picking the best alternative is not always the easiest thing to do.
Do you pick on the side of the voters and taxpayers of Mississippi, or do you pick the political side?
Said Moore: "If lower numbers warrant shutting down a private jail, I say shut it down."
Is this the best choice?
STEVEN A. McCALEB
COMMENTARY
Robin Fitzgerald can be reached at 896-2307 or at rfitzgerald@sunherald.com