FRANKLINTON, La. — Inside the Washington Parish Jail, Sheriff Jason Smith says there’s a problem.
“It’s been a historical problem,” said Smith. “For as long as anybody seems to be able to remember, it’s been a problem.”
Smith says overcrowding in the jail, which sits in downtown Franklinton, has gotten worse in recent years. With 144 beds, the jail meant for pretrial detention currently houses about 175 detainees.
“We’ve given them mats. They sleep on the floor; they find a place. It looks like a homeless encampment in a lot of ways and we’re trying to mitigate that,” said Smith.
To help, about 30 detainees are being housed in other jurisdictions.
“The problem for us is that that’s expensive. We as the taxpayers of Washington Parish have to foot the bill for that,” said Smith.
Smith, who became sheriff in July, says the realities of the jail are more problematic than he imagined. In addition to overcrowding, he says cell doors were removed by the previous administration and thrown away. Those are just issues on the inside.
“Water got up to this line here in 2016,” said Smith pointing to a waterline on one of the cement columns holding up the elevated jail.
Built in the early 80’s, Smith says the jail’s location near the Bouge Chitto River makes it prone to flooding. He says it’s even sinking into the ground.
“It’s not a bedrock foundation. The concrete is cracking apart,” said Smith. “How many more years can we get out of it, I don’t know. How long can you drive a car with the engine light on?”
While Smith is in charge of operating the jail, the parish is in charge of maintaining it.
“I’m real proud of what we’ve accomplished in the last several years over there,” said Washington Parish President Ryan Seal. “We’ve invested over $2 million improving the quality of the jail and the administrative offices for the sheriff.”
That money was approved before Seal took office in January. He says it was used on new HVAC systems, kitchen, laundry, and medical facilities. Seal says he’s committed to working with the sheriff to address overcrowding. Both say a backed-up court system is part of the reason for so many detainees.
“We’re on the same page here. We’ve acknowledged the problem and trying to work the problem to get it to a solution that will be satisfactory to everyone involved,” said Seal.
For Smith, that would be a new jail in a different location. Neither he nor Seal are in favor of raising taxes to pay for one though.
“I’m trying to put pressure on legislators. We spend a lot of money on a lot of things. This is the thing that we need the most in the parish,” said Smith.
Smith says it’ll be years before there’s a new jail. In the meantime, he’s focused on making it work with what he’s got.
“We’ve gotten to the part over years of neglect, years of disinterest from the administration,” said Smith.
Smith says it won’t be solved overnight but vows it will be solved.