Caddo Parish committee forwards sheriff's home-incarceration pilot to full commission

The Caddo Parish committee voted 4-1 to forward a draft resolution from the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office that would pilot home incarceration and electronic monitoring for certain misdemeanor, nonviolent offenders, committee members said.

A representative of the sheriff's office told the committee the program is intended to reduce jail overcrowding, hold low-risk offenders accountable through supervision and monitoring, and provide the parish with data on cost savings and compliance before any wider rollout. "Not every individual or offender needs a jail cell, but every offender needs accountability," the representative said.

The pilot would apply to sentenced misdemeanor offenders who meet a multi-step vetting process, officials said. Chief James Matthews, introduced by the sheriff's office as the agency's head of judicial security, described a point-based eligibility system that includes a deputy-led review, a personal interview and multiple supervisory sign-offs before a candidate would be placed on monitored home incarceration. "We have a vetting criteria that has a point value and point system to it," Matthews said.

Presenters said the sheriff's office views the program as a tool to preserve scarce jail space for violent and high-risk inmates, citing recent capacity challenges. The office said the parish began the year with about 1,196 unsentenced inmates in a facility designed for roughly 70 and reported a current unsentenced count of about 1,282. Officials also noted that many eligible inmates have short remaining sentences — often about 20 days or less — and that monitored release would typically be a short window of supervision rather than a long-term placement.

Officials described the monitoring as an electronic ankle-bracelet model with on-site supervision: a deputy would be assigned to monitor compliance, and participants could be allowed to work or attend medical or religious appointments under restrictions. Presenters also said the sheriff's office has coordinated with courts and other partners on a weekly list process that began on 01/01/2025 and reported 101 people processed through that routine to date.

One commissioner pressed that the committee was not being asked to grant the sheriff more authority. "We're not giving the sheriff any more power than he already had," a commissioner said, and the sheriff's office representative confirmed that release decisions would be exercised under the agency's existing statutory authority as cited in the presentation. The transcript records statutory citations in the presentation (reported there as "revised statute 15, 8 11 17" and "15 89 b").

The committee recorded the item as carried with four in support and one not in opposition and forwarded the draft resolution to the full commission for consideration. No final implementation decisions, funding commitments or contract terms were authorized at the meeting; staff and the sheriff's office said additional details and a draft resolution would be considered at a later meeting.

Next steps: the full commission will receive the drafted resolution and the sheriff's office said it will provide further information about eligibility criteria, supervision protocols and projected cost impacts before any final vote.