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| Number of federal prisoners on sharp increase |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 12/22/2003 |
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Federal marshals have detained so many prisoners this year in the Baton Rouge area that they are being forced to house the inmates as far away as northeastern Louisiana. Since January, marshals handling the federal Middle Judicial District of Louisiana have averaged 64 prisoners in custody per day, more than twice as many as five years ago. "The best word I can use to describe the growth is 'substantial," said Chief Deputy Marshal Wayne Plylar. Authorities said the increase is driven mostly by the kind of crimes pursued by federal prosecutors. For example, Baton Rouge saw a record 268 indictments this year, 49 of which were drug cases, some with multiple defendants. Those charged with violent or drug-related crimes usually are jailed without bond. "We've more than doubled the number of drug cases that this office has historically indicted, and they're the type of cases where the accused is more likely to be detained," said U.S. Attorney David Dugas. "I'd say the principal reason for the growth in prisoners is those increased drug prosecutions." Federal prisoners awaiting trial have historically been jailed in the parish prisons of East and West Baton Rouge parishes. About six months ago, marshals began housing federal prisoners in Tensas Parish -- about 135 miles north of the city, said Tensas Parish Prison corrections chief Dave Carson. To date, the jail there has held about 30 such detainees. To minimize travel, prisoners awaiting trial are housed in East and West Baton Rouge jails. Those who have been convicted and are awaiting sentencing go to Tensas Parish. Nationwide, the U.S. Marshals Service has experienced a "breathtaking" increase in prisoners over the past four years, much of it due to a crackdown on illegal immigration, said Dave Turner, a spokesman in the agency's Washington, D.C. headquarters. Marshals in the southwestern United States, where illegal immigration has resulted in numerous arrests, have been forced to house prisoners in jails in the Midwest and fly them South for their court dates. "When you have a very active prosecution record in a district or a national initiative, it does create dramatic increases," Turner said. "But so far it hasn't been anything we can't handle." |
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