Enhancing jail operations by creating and preserving employment positions and improving training programs for correctional officers

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) solicits applications for initiatives which assist law enforcement in rural states and rural areas. The program helps rural states and rural areas to prevent and combat crime, especially drug-related crime, and provides for national support efforts, including training and technical assistance programs strategically targeted to address rural needs.

The Assistance to Rural Law Enforcement to Combat Crime and Drugs Program, administered by BJA, helps rural states and rural areas prevent and combat crime, especially drug-related crime, and provides for national support efforts, including training and technical assistance programs strategically targeted to address rural needs. In addition, priority consideration will be given to local law enforcement agencies in rural areas where the unit of local government is not eligible to receive a direct allocation from the Recovery Act Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program or received a direct allocation that was $50,000 or less. Applicants were invited to submit a proposal under any one of the following categories to: (1) combat rural crime; (2) improve rural law enforcement investigations; (3) enhance rural detention and jail operations; (4) facilitate rural justice information sharing; or (5) develop a national training and technical assistance program.

Under Category 3, the Morehouse Parish Sheriff's Office (MPSO) will use its award to sustain and increase the number of correctional officers within the local correctional facilities, and to enhance the administration and operations of detention and corrections functions through training programs. Over a two year period, MPSO will hire five full-time correctional officers and preserve ten correctional officer positions that would otherwise will be lost due to budget cuts for the upcoming fiscal year. The award will also be used to fund a training officer, who will develop training programs and instruct correctional officers in better methods of screening, assessing, and supervising inmates, with an emphasis on inmates suffering with mental illnesses. The Parish operates three facilities, which houses approximately 510 inmates and employs approximately 68 direct supervision correctional officers. Of these 68 officers, over half have not yet been P.O.S.T. certified, thus violating new Louisiana Department of Corrections (LADOC) training regulations and threatening the closure of one of the three facilities. The proposed project will assist MPSO in meeting minimum officer certification requirements as required by LADOC and is expected to reduce the number of incidents between inmates and staff.

CA/CF