House approves Department of Corrections appropriation after debate over private prisons, per‑diem increases and third‑party audit

The Mississippi House approved the Department of Corrections appropriation (senate bill 2026) after extended questioning from members about increases to medical and regional per‑diem costs, the role of private prisons and a planned third‑party audit of correctional medical services.

The bill passed on final passage by a recorded vote of 85 yeas and 13 nays. The chairman, introducing the bill, said the total appropriation was $468,953,599, of which $438,203,210 was state support. The chair described a $12,388,493 increase for the prison medical contract, an adjustment in regional per‑diems to $32.71 per inmate per day (a $4,475,060 increase to raise all regions to that level) and vacancy funding adjustments.

Members pressed the chair for details about how the regional per‑diem was calculated, and whether the increased per‑diem applied to specific regional prisons or to facilities across regions. The chair said the $32.71 figure was applied using region capacities and average daily censuses used to calculate the funding needed to bring each region up to the stated per‑diem level; he cited an average regional census figure of roughly 208 in the floor exchange.

Several members asked about private contracted prisons. The chair identified two private facilities by name — Wilkinson and East Mississippi — and acknowledged the state uses both private and state‑run facilities. Members asked about relative capacities and the apparent differences in annual appropriations for private facilities versus state facilities; the chair said exact capacities and per‑diem totals would be provided later but acknowledged he did not have the per‑facility capacity numbers at the lectern.

The bill also drew questions over a provision funding a third‑party review of correctional medical services. A member asked why the state would pay roughly $690,000 for an audit when the Department of Health had previously testified that it could provide such review. The chair answered that the authorization funds a third‑party contractor and that the first portion of $690,000 would come from contract clawback funds; he said the contractor identity would be provided on request and that the work called for a specialized outside review rather than an in‑house DHHS audit. Members asked the chair to provide the audit contract details when available.

The final vote came after back‑and‑forth over fiscal detail; supporters said the increases were needed to meet current contract and medical cost realities and to bring per‑diems in line across regions, while opponents expressed concern about transparency and asked for more specific per‑facility numbers.

Ending

The appropriation now moves forward as approved; floor discussion focused on implementation details the chairman agreed to provide, including per‑facility capacities, the contractor for the medical audit and the audit’s scope and funding source. The House recorded the 85–13 final passage on the floor.