Missouri Corrections Department To Counties: The Check's In The Mail For Housing Inmates, Eventually

Counties across Missouri hoped this was the year that the Department of Corrections would make headway on the $20-$30 million they’re owed for housing inmates who eventually go to state prisons.

But legislators allocated only $1.75 million more to address the backlog. Missouri's practice of reimbursing counties in this way is unique in the United States, and local sheriffs and county leaders say it’s time for a better solution.

“I don't know what that is, but at the current rate we're operating, the state will never get ahead,” Cass County Sheriff Jeff Weber said. “We'll never get these costs caught up and we're going to keep plunging down that road. And I don't know what will happen in the future.”

It’s tricky to know the exact number of inmates being housed at any one time, Department of Corrections spokeswoman Karen Pojmann told KCUR 89.3, because counties are only reimbursed for the inmates who are convicted and sentenced to prison.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/missouri-corrections-department-counties-checks-mail-housing-inmates-eventually