Published: November 04, 2009 11:31 pm      

Commissioner of Miss. prisons trying to trim $8.3M

JACKSON (AP) — Mississippi Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps says he’s looking for ways to cut $8.3 million out of the $344 million budget for the prison system.

Epps tells The Clarion-Ledger that there are several options to save money, including taking some inmates out of county and regional jails. He does not yet know how many, but he hopes to save about $3.2 million that way.

The state pays $20 a day to house an inmate in a county jail and $30 a day in a regional jail.

Epps says he hopes to save $1.5 million by renegotiating medical contracts.

Mississippi’s revenue fell 7.5 percent below estimates for the first four months of the fiscal year that began July 1. That’s a shortfall of about $111.7 million for all parts of state government.