Housing prisoners costs counties nearly three times what they receive from the state, a sheriff told a House subcommittee on Monday.
Lewis County Sheriff David Parrish said the current cost of housing a prisoner is close to $60 per day. The Missouri Department of Corrections reimburses county jails $22.58 per inmate per day for jailing inmates who are eventually sentenced to state incarceration.
The State of Missouri has fallen behind in payments and owes county jails about $35 million. Parrish said state and county officials need to work together to solve the problem.
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