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New jails will need more pigs and *****-suckers . . .
by BOB ANDERSON
banderson@theadvocate.com


http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/110405/sub_newjail001.shtml

LIVINGSTON
Sheriff Willie Graves had hoped that a larger, modern
jail wouldn't require more manpower to operate, but
after meeting with architects Thursday, he said that
won't be the case.
Even though it will cost his agency more in salaries,
Graves said he still supports the proposal to build a
new jail. "I'm fully behind it," Graves said. "We have
to have a new jail." The jail will be designed for 500
prisoners, rather than the 154, which the current jail
is designed to house. On occasion, Graves has had
as many as 300 prisoners, about double the legal
capacity of the facility.
Parish government has been required to pay to incarcerate its excess prisoners
outside the parish, and that threatens to bankrupt the parish, said Parish President
Mike Grimmer.
The cost to Livingston Parish of housing its overflow prisoners in other
jurisdictions is five or six times the cost the parish has to pay to house them in
the Livingston Parish Prison, Grimmer said.
Last month, Grimmer got the Livingston Parish Council to agree to ask voters to
rededicate 25 percent of the parish's 1-cent road tax toward financing the cost of
building to a new jail. That proposition will be on the ballot in January.
If the proposition wins voter approval, the jail should open in about two years,
officials said.
"I obviously could not hire the 10 to 20 additional people" with the funds that are
currently available, Graves said.
"What my revenues will be in two years, who knows?" he said. "I may be able to afford
it by then, though I doubt it.
"I will try to save as much money as I can over the next two years," for hiring new
jailers, the sheriff said. He said he also sees some options that may help.
The design for the new jail includes two wings for men, with four cell pods in each,
Graves said.
One possibility for limiting manpower assigned to staff the larger prison is that he
could initially open only one of the male wings until jail population forces the
opening of the second wing.
Graves said he also will consider admitting inmates from the state Department of
Corrections to the new jail, which would provide more income to hire guards.
The design is for a jail that will be more secure and safe for both guards and
prisoners, he said.
Warden Jim Brown said prisoners have to sleep in halls, which means jail personnel
have to step around them.
He said that's not good for safety or security.
In the proposed jail, guards would have less physical interaction with the prisoners,
Graves said.
The only times prisoners will need to leave the wing of the jail in which they are
housed would be to go to court or to receive medical attention, he said.
They will eat in their secured wings and will have exercise yards attached to the
wings. Prisoners and visitors will converse by video communication systems, the
sheriff said.
Though operating the full facility will require more personnel than the present jail,
the design will provide for running the new jail with a minimum number of guards per
inmate, Graves said.
"One guard can watch a lot more people," he said

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I intend to last long enough to put out of business all *****-suckers
and other beneficiaries of the institutionalized slavery and genocide.

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"The army that will defeat terrorism doesn't wear uniforms, or drive
Humvees, or calls in air-strikes. It doesn't have a high command, or
high security, or a high budget. The army that can defeat terrorism
does battle quietly, clearing minefields and vaccinating children. It
undermines military dictatorships and military lobbyists. It subverts
sweatshops and special interests.Where people feel powerless, it
helps them organize for change, and where people are powerful, it
reminds them of their responsibility." ~~~~ Author Unknown ~~~~
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