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Newton County signs 2025 interlocal to house inmates in Jasper County; per-diem rises to $75
Summary
The court approved a 2025 interlocal agreement with Jasper County to continue housing Newton County inmates, increasing the per-diem fee to $75; commissioners discussed capacity and potential use of out-of-state facilities.
Newton County Commissioners Court on March 11 approved a 2025 interlocal cooperation agreement with Jasper County to house Newton County inmates and accepted a per-diem increase to $75 per inmate per day.
County staff said the interlocal maintains a relationship used when local capacity is exceeded and that the fee had increased from $45 to $75 per day for counties grandfathered into Jasper County’s arrangement; other counties around the state were paying higher rates. Commissioners discussed seeking a dedicated block of beds — county staff said they were pursuing about 10 beds dedicated to Newton County — and referenced ongoing regional changes in inmate housing, including reports that some large counties were reducing out-of-state housing arrangements.
Commissioner discussion also covered billing practices (counting booking-in and booking-out days) and whether Louisiana facilities follow the same per-diem calculation; county staff said they had not had a full meeting with the out-of-state warden to review those terms.
The court approved the interlocal agreement by voice vote; the motion was made and seconded.
Why it matters: The interlocal sets the per-diem Newton County will pay to Jasper County to house inmates, affecting detention costs and operational planning when jail beds are limited locally. Commissioners asked for a future update on jail security improvements and the county’s capacity planning.
