By C1 Staff
TEXARKANA, Ark. — During the 2015 Arkansas Legislative session, one lawmaker suggested a bill to help ensure county jails are reimbursed regularly for holding state prisoners.
KTBS reports that, currently, the state doesn’t reimburse counties until the inmate is discharged from the jail, moved to the penitentiary, or the state has enough money to pay up.
The state reimburses counties $28 a day per inmate, but a recent audit shows that the per day inmate expense for counties is over $45.
Nearly 2,500 federal inmates are currently being housed in county jails, and the state currently owes those counties nearly $8 million.