Natchitoches Parish Courthouse

Natchitoches Parish Courthouse

NATCHITOCHES, La. — Natchitoches Parish Council has sued Sheriff R. Stuart Wright and the Natchitoches Parish Law Enforcement District, asking a district court to determine which jail expenses the parish is legally required to pay and accusing the sheriff's office of improperly billing the parish and moving parish prisoners to other jails.

The 27-page petition for declaratory judgment and supplemental relief was filed Thursday in the 10th Judicial District Court for Natchitoches Parish. 

The lawsuit centers on the operation of the Natchitoches Parish Detention Center, the housing of parish and non-parish prisoners, payments to the sheriff and the use of detention center beds.

Parish challenges jail expense payments

The parish argues Louisiana law divides responsibility for the jail between the parish government and the sheriff.

According to the lawsuit, state law requires the parish to provide and physically maintain a jail building, while the sheriff has the responsibility to operate or "keep" the jail.

The parish contends that the sheriff's responsibility to operate the jail also means the sheriff must pay the expenses associated with operating it, including salaries and benefits for deputies assigned to jail operations.

The parish specifically disputes whether it should be responsible for expenses such as janitorial services, jail operations and other costs that it says fall under the sheriff's statutory duties.

The lawsuit asks the court to declare that the parish is responsible for maintaining the physical jail facility but is not responsible for operating it.

Dispute over prisoner payment

A major issue in the lawsuit is the amount the parish must pay for feeding and keeping parish prisoners. The parish cites Louisiana law providing for a payment of at least $3.50 per day for each prisoner kept in jail.

The lawsuit argues the sheriff cannot impose additional jail-related charges unless specifically authorized by law. The parish alleges the sheriff has repeatedly billed the parish for amounts exceeding the $3.50-per-day rate.

It also alleges the sheriff's office has failed to provide sufficient information showing how variable jail expenses are divided between parish and non-parish prisoners.

The parish is asking the court to require the sheriff to identify the classification of prisoners supporting each invoice and to limit charges to those authorized by law.

Parish prisoners moved 

Other allegations involve the use of beds at the Natchitoches Parish Detention Center. The lawsuit says the detention center has a maximum capacity of about 550 prisoners and was built with funding from Natchitoches Parish taxpayers for the benefit of parish residents.

The parish alleges the sheriff and the Law Enforcement District have arrangements with other entities to house prisoners from outside the parish, including the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections and Natchitoches Solutions LLC, an affiliate of LaSalle Corrections.

According to the petition, the Law Enforcement District entered into an Operations and Management Agreement with LaSalle in August 2024. LaSalle is permitted under that agreement to seek outside prisoners and maximize occupancy at the detention center, while being required to reserve only 102 beds for Natchitoches Parish pretrial detainees.

The lawsuit alleges LaSalle and the district have contracts with federal agencies and entities outside Louisiana, including Harris County, Texas, to house prisoners at rates exceeding $70 per day and, in the case of Harris County, reportedly as much as $100 per day.

The parish alleges the sheriff has moved Natchitoches Parish prisoners to other jails so the detention center can house non-parish prisoners for substantially higher payments.

The lawsuit describes that practice as the sheriff "arbitraging" detention center beds for the financial benefit of the Sheriff's Office and the Law Enforcement District, while increasing costs for the parish.

The parish alleges that, as a result, Natchitoches Parish prisoners have been housed in other Louisiana parish jails, which then bill Natchitoches Parish for their care.

Out-of-parish housing costs more

The lawsuit alleges other parish sheriffs have billed Natchitoches Parish at rates higher than the $3.50 statutory per diem for keeping and feeding Natchitoches Parish prisoners.

The parish argues it should not have to pay more than the statutory rate when its prisoners are transferred to another parish jail.

The lawsuit also alleges that moving prisoners outside Natchitoches Parish creates problems for the criminal justice system because prisoners may not be available locally for hearings, trials and other court proceedings.

The parish says the practice also creates hardships for defendants and their families by making it more difficult for defendants to meet with attorneys and for families to visit incarcerated relatives.

Lawsuit challenges transfers 

The parish argues Louisiana law allows parish prisoners to be transferred to another parish jail only under specific circumstances, which include situations in which the jail is unsafe or unfit for prisoners, a court has declared the jail unfit or the jail presents a security risk to a prisoner, other prisoners or the public. The parish alleges none of those conditions exists at the Natchitoches Parish Detention Center.

It also alleges the sheriff has not regularly provided the required 72-hour notice to the 10th Judicial District Court before transferring parish prisoners.

The lawsuit asks the court to declare that Louisiana law provides the only authority under which the sheriff may transfer parish prisoners outside Natchitoches Parish. It also asks the court to declare that another parish sheriff may receive only the statutory $3.50-per-day payment when a Natchitoches Parish prisoner is lawfully transferred.

Improper prisoner classifications alleged

The lawsuit also challenges how prisoners are classified for billing purposes. The sheriff has billed Natchitoches Parish for prisoners after they have been sentenced and committed to the custody of the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, the lawsuit states.

Under the parish's interpretation of state law, the parish's payment obligation ends when a prisoner is sentenced and committed to the Department of Corrections.

The parish also alleges the sheriff has classified prisoners as parish prisoners when they are being held only on municipal charges.

The lawsuit argues that prisoners held solely on municipal charges are not parish prisoners for purposes of the statutory compensation system.

It similarly argues that prisoners being held on warrants from other jurisdictions should be the financial responsibility of the jurisdiction that issued the warrant.

The parish also says prisoners held on probation or parole violations are the responsibility of the state's Probation and Parole Board, while prisoners held on immigration detention holds should be billed under contracts with federal immigration authorities rather than to the parish.

Juvenile and female prisoners

The parish also takes issue with the sheriff's handling of juvenile and female offenders.

The lawsuit alleges the sheriff has been sending all juvenile and female offenders outside Natchitoches Parish for pretrial incarceration at the parish's expense.

The parish contends there is sufficient capacity at the detention center to house those prisoners and argues applicable law requires the sheriff to house them in Natchitoches Parish when possible.

If the sheriff chooses to house them elsewhere, the parish argues the sheriff should bear the resulting costs.

Parish seeks repayment

The lawsuit asks the court to issue a series of declarations spelling out the financial responsibilities of the parish, sheriff and Law Enforcement District.

Among other things, the parish wants the court to declare that:

  • The parish must provide and physically maintain the jail but is not required to operate it.
  • The sheriff is responsible for operating the detention center and paying its operating expenses.
  • The parish is responsible for health care costs for parish prisoners but not non-parish prisoners.
  • The sheriff is responsible for expenses associated with non-parish prisoners.
  • The $3.50-per-day statutory payment applies to the feeding and keeping of parish prisoners.
  • Transportation charges must comply with the rates established by state law.
  • Jail expenses benefiting both parish and non-parish prisoners must be allocated based on the respective prisoner populations.
  • Parish prisoners should be housed at the Natchitoches Parish Detention Center to the greatest extent possible before non-parish prisoners are housed there.
  • The sheriff cannot transfer parish prisoners outside the parish except as permitted by law.
  • Prisoners must be properly classified for billing purposes.
  • The sheriff may invoice the parish only for charges authorized by law.

The parish is also asking the court to order the sheriff and Law Enforcement District to reimburse the parish for expenses it allegedly incurred as a result of violations described in the lawsuit, along with legal interest.

The parish is seeking reimbursement under Louisiana's declaratory judgment law as supplemental relief.

Citations issued with the lawsuit give Wright and the Natchitoches Parish Law Enforcement District 21 days after receiving the documents to file an answer or other legal pleading. The citations state that a judgment could be entered without further notice if the defendants do not respond within that period.

The petition was filed by attorneys with Daigle Fisse & Kessenich PLC on behalf of Natchitoches Parish Government.