MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed SB 228, the bill sponsored by State Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) to close the loophole that currently allows county sheriffs to personally pocket surplus funds for feeding prisoners in their custody.
“This has been a problem, especially over the last year, and I’m glad the Senate has stepped forward with a solution. I appreciate the sheriffs working with us to update the law and end this archaic system where county sheriffs are held personally liable for the money to feed prisoners,” Orr said in a statement. “As we have seen over the last year, that creates all sorts of perverse incentives. The vast majority of sheriffs in Alabama have acted honorably, but there have been some bad actors who have taken advantage of the system.”
The bill would also increase the amount of state funds appropriated for prisoner food to $2.25 per prisoner daily. This amount will increase two percent annually to account for inflation.
“It is also crucial that we slightly increase how much we spend on prisoners for their food rations—it has been decades since the formula was adjusted and inflation and food costs have risen quite a bit since it was last revisited, and that puts the local jails in a bind,” Orr explained.
SB 228 now heads to the House for a first reading. The bill stemmed from the March 2018 revelation that then-Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin had personally pocketed more than $750,000 in excess food funds, which was legal under current state law.
Heath Taylor, sheriff of Russell County and president of the Alabama Sheriffs Association, is appreciative of Orr sponsoring the bill.
“We greatly appreciate Senator Orr and the Alabama Senate for assisting us in fixing this issue. They have been very supportive and diligent in their efforts,” Taylor emphasized. “Over the last several years the Alabama Sheriffs Association has sought repeatedly to make this change, but to no avail. Our hope is that the House of Representatives will bring closure by also passing this bill and allowing us to continue protecting our citizens and making our society a better place to live.”
Orr’s bill also places the liability of feeding prisoners on the state, which removes the burden from county sheriffs.
Sonny Brasfield, executive director of the Association of the County Commissions of Alabama, also praised Orr’s leadership and voiced his support for SB 228.
“For as long as I have been involved in county government, everyone has agreed that we should do something about the feeding of inmates in Alabama jails. Our sheriffs and Senator Arthur Orr developed a bill that ensures transparency with public audits, makes it clear that public money can never be converted to private use and that the public will never hear another story about the conversion of jail money into a personal account,” Brasfield said. “We look forward to the passage of this bill in the House and to it being signed into law as quickly as possible.”
“Counties are grateful for the leadership of Sen. Orr and for the sheriffs who were dogmatic in their commitment to put this issue behind us — once and for all,” he added.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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