DOC transferring state inmates out of Evangeline Parish Jail

State inmates are being transferred out of the Evangeline Parish Jail, according to a news release from the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections (DOC).
Without being more specific, the DOC statement reported the state inmates are being transferred “after Sheriff Eddie Soileau and jail staff failed to comply with basic jail guidelines.”
The parish jail has a total capacity of 72 inmates and 32 of them, or more than 40 percent, are being transferred, according to the DOC statement.
The state pays $24.39 per inmate per day. Pam Laborde, DOC spokeswoman said the total payment from the department to the parish jail during the past fiscal year was $272,460, and not the $3.3 million as reported in some televised news reports. Laborde said the high figure includes private prison facilities where the state has prisoners, in Basile and Pine Prairie.
The spokeswoman said the compliance issue could result from actual conditions at the parish jail, or to inadequate reporting of conditions at the jail.
The jail was inspected in October of 2012 and May of 2013. The last inspection report indicated there were deficiencies in plumbing, lighting, and in the food storage area.
The Evangeline Parish Police Jury, during a special meeting last December, voted to double the amount budgeted for repairs to the parish jail mandated by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.
The police jury had budgeted $20,000 for repairs but amended the 2014 budget to include $40,000 for repairs of toilets, showers and lighting.
The police jury also asked DHH for a 90-day extension on the deadline for making the repairs, which expired the same day as the special meeting.