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| Audit: Louisiana benefits from inmate work-release programs |
| By houmatoday.com- Gordon Russell |
| Published: 04/19/2016 |
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Work-release programs that allow Louisiana inmates to work in private-sector jobs as they near the end of their incarceration provide benefits to the state and to inmates, but the Department of Corrections and Public Safety needs to do a better job overseeing them, according to a new report by the state's legislative auditor. The performance audit released early Monday notes that work-release programs save the state roughly $12 million annually in incarceration costs, because the state pays a lower per-diem rate to house offenders in such programs than it spends on those in traditional jail settings. The programs also have been shown to have a modest positive effect on recidivism rates, according to the corrections department, thus saving the state money and improving public safety. The report notes that work-release programs have also been a boon for operators -- including many Louisiana sheriffs as well as a handful of private contractors. The report says operators took in approximately $55 million in the most recent year, the bulk of it coming from the 64 percent cut of inmate wages that the operators are allowed to keep. They also made $4.1 million from selling inmates snacks and other items. Read More. |
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