ST. LANDRY PARISH, La. ( KLFY ) — When St. Landry Parish President Jessie Bellard listed his goals for 2025 , he made a priority of reducing the cost of inmate spending. While part of that has to do with housing inmates outside of the parish due to the parish jail being over capacity , There’s another element, housing juvenile inmates.
“Juvenile crime and juvenile detention, juvenile period, is a serious issue,” Bellard said.
When a juvenile commits a serious crime, they are required by a judge to be sent to a juvenile detention center. However, without such a center in the parish, Bellard says costs have continued to add up for parish government.
“The closest one is in Mississippi,” Bellard said. “Next one is Alabama, and they cost roughly $300 to $325 a day to house them. And we get the bill for the transportation. So, all the cost is on parish government.”
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In 2025, Bellard hopes to change that process.