Pubdate: Thu, 06 Jun 2002
Source: Minden Press-Herald (LA)
Copyright: 2002 Minden Press-Herald.
Contact:  http://www.press-herald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1803
Author: Josh Beavers

BOGGS ADDRESSES PRISON OVERPOPULATION CONCERNS

District Attorney hopeful Mike Boggs told a group of concerned Webster 
Parish officials Tuesday that if victorious in the fall election, he will 
be a strong advocate for reducing the parish prison population. "Jail 
census should be one of a district attorney's top priorities," Boggs told 
the Webster Parish Judicial/Prisoner Overview Team. "It will definitely be 
one of mine."

Boggs' visit was the first of three where group members will seek guidance 
from each district attorney candidate. Other hopefuls Schuyler Marvin and 
Michael Nerren will speak in the coming months. The overview team is a 
group of representatives from the Webster police jury, the sheriff's 
office, the DA's office as well as local judges and members of the indigent 
defender board. The group formed in the spring to address growing concerns 
regarding a higher than usual number of parish prisoners housed in Webster 
jails.

The board is also concerned that prisoners spend too much time in the jails 
before moving through the legal system.

"If I'm the district attorney and I see a parish prisoner in jail too long, 
then I am going to go and get them," he said.

In 2001, Webster jail facilities averaged 154 parish inmates, those that 
have been charged with a crime but not yet adjudicated. The cost of caring 
for those prisoners runs around $1.9 million a year.

The newly constructed Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center can hold 340 
prisoners; however, group members want the majority of those bunks to be 
occupied by prisoners from the Louisiana Department of Corrections - 
prisoners that the parish earns revenue for housing.

Boggs said he crunched a few numbers and discovered in 1999 there were 337 
drug arrests in Webster Parish; however, only two of those arrested ever 
went to trial. In addition, he said more than 40 percent of the arrests 
were not even charged.

"If you can't charge and convict more than half of your arrests then 
something is wrong," he said. "And I refuse to believe our officers are 
dropping the ball."

Boggs said the group meetings are a good start to solving the problems, as 
communication is what he believes to be the key to alleviating the money woes.

"You've got to look at the numbers and see who is going in and what is 
happening when they get in there," he said. "Then you have got to look at 
those past numbers and establish some type of baseline to compare and see 
how to improve."

If elected, Boggs said he would hold similar meetings to try and discover 
what problems group members have with the district attorney office.

"I want to talk about the problems, then I want to talk about the 
solutions," he said. "I don't have all the answers, but I do have the 
desire to work together and get things back on track."

Boggs will also be the guest speaker during Thursday's noon meeting of the 
Minden Lions Club at the American Legion Hall on Pine Street.
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