State requests inmate medical bills

By By Chris Allen Baker / staff writer
March 29, 2002
Lauderdale County Sheriff Billy Sollie told the Board of Supervisors on Thursday that the state has requested medical bills for Mississippi inmates housed in the county jail.
Mississippi owes Lauderdale County $365,518 for keeping state inmates from September through January including $273,780 in housing costs and $91,738 in medical expenses.
Sollie told supervisors that the Mississippi Department of Corrections called him recently to request inmate medical bills. That, he said, will keep the county from paying the expense.
Sollie did not talk with supervisors about the county's expenses for housing state inmates.
Mississippi law requires the state to pay counties $20 a day for housing state prisoners. The state also must pay the prisoners' medical expenses.
Supervisors voted earlier this week to ask the Mississippi Legislature to reimburse the county for all expenses associated with housing state inmates.