Missouri could catch up by the end of the next state budget year on its outstanding debt owed to counties for jail reimbursements.
For years, the state has been behind in paying counties and the city of St. Louis for a portion of a defendant’s entire local jail stay if the individual ends up going to a state prison. During a House Budget Committee hearing, Trevor Foley, with the Missouri Department of Corrections, says if projections remain stable, the governor’s budget request of 58 million dollars would get the program out of debt.
The state pays county jails about $22.58 per day, but the county’s overall daily cost to house a defendant ranges from 25 dollars to 110 dollars. Representative Peggy McGaugh, a Republican from northwest Missouri’s Carrollton, says she wants the state to cover more than the current daily amount.
During a House Budget Committee hearing, Trevor Foley, with the Missouri Department of Corrections, says the program is volatile and he hopes projections remain stable to help catch up.
The funding would also cover certain costs to transfer those offenders. Missouri could be the only state in the nation paying counties for pre-sentencing jail costs.
