The conversation around building a new parish jail continues to spark strong opinions in our community. Since I first wrote “Building a Safer Tomorrow: Creating a More Humane and Efficient Parish Jail for Everyone,” the need for action has only become clearer.
Our existing facility remains overcrowded and outdated. According to a recent article published in The Advocate, each month, East Baton Rouge Parish taxpayers spend $368,000 to send detainees to prisons in other parishes. On top of sending detainees elsewhere, in recent years the parish has spent millions annually on repairs to keep what beds open that it can. Repairs are costly and still fall short of creating safe, humane conditions for people who are incarcerated and for the professionals who work there every day.
Why a New Facility Serves Us All
- Safety for staff and residents: Modern design reduces violence, allows better supervision, and improves emergency response.
- Health and rehabilitation: Updated spaces can include medical space, mental-health treatment areas, and education rooms—key to lowering recidivism.
- Fiscal responsibility: Investing in a purpose-built facility is ultimately more cost-effective than patching an outdated building year after year.
I understand the concerns about budgets and priorities. But delaying a decision doesn’t save money or lives—it only prolongs unsafe conditions. Supporting a new jail isn’t about expanding incarceration; it’s about ensuring dignity, accountability, and a pathway to rehabilitation. This issue is personal for me because I once walked those halls as a corrections officer over a decade ago and it's sad to say not much has changed since then. I commend Metro Councilman Darryl Hurst who has been keeping the conversation going and is in support of a new jail. He says there is no current plan or cost estimate for a new jail. For Councilman Hurst, he says the living conditions for prisoners are as much of a problem as the ever-increasing financial burden. I stand with him as wanting to be part of the solution.
On the other hand, another council member, Jen Racca believes that our tax dollars should not be spent to better house prisoners. Respectfully, the idea that taxpayers don’t want to invest in a new jail overlooks the reality that we are already spending millions—year after year—on costly repairs and on housing inmates in other parishes. Those dollars never solve the core problem.
Council member Racca, this isn’t about better housing for prisoners, it’s about protecting everyone who must be inside that building: the deputies, medical staff, counselors, and volunteers who work long shifts in outdated, unsafe conditions. A modern facility improves safety, lowers liability, and ultimately saves money while upholding basic human dignity. Investing wisely now prevents us from wasting more later.
Our parish has an opportunity to lead with compassion and wisdom. Let’s build a facility that reflects our shared values of justice, safety, and human dignity.
