Natchitoches Parish Government has filed suit against Sheriff R. Stuart Wright and the Natchitoches Parish Law Enforcement District, asking a district court to define which jail and prisoner expenses must be paid by the parish and which expenses are the responsibility of the sheriff.
The suit, filed Aug. 13 in 10th Judicial District Court, is a petition for declaratory judgment and supplemental relief. In simple terms, the parish is asking the court to interpret Louisiana law and establish clear rules for paying the costs associated with the Natchitoches Parish Detention Center.
The parties
The plaintiff is Natchitoches Parish Government.
The defendants are Wright, in his official capacity as sheriff, and the Natchitoches Parish Law Enforcement District, which operates through the sheriff.
The petition also discusses LaSalle Corrections, LLC, which the parish says is involved through an operations and management agreement concerning the Detention Center and the housing of non-parish prisoners.
What the parish argues
The parish’s central argument is that Louisiana law separates responsibility for the jail building from responsibility for operating the jail.
According to the petition, the parish is responsible for providing and maintaining an appropriate jail facility, while the sheriff is responsible for operating the jail and paying operational expenses unless a specific law places a particular expense on the parish.
The parish contends that its normal obligation for feeding and keeping a parish prisoner is limited to a statutory payment of $3.50 per prisoner per day, along with certain other expenses specifically authorized by law.
The dispute over non-parish prisoners
A major portion of the lawsuit concerns prisoners who are not considered Natchitoches Parish prisoners.
The petition discusses state Department of Corrections prisoners, federal detainees, immigration detainees, out-of-state prisoners and prisoners being held for other jurisdictions.
The parish argues that it should not be required to pay the costs of housing, feeding, transporting or providing medical care for those prisoners when the sheriff or another entity is receiving compensation for housing them.
The suit alleges that the sheriff receives revenue from outside entities for housing certain prisoners and that some contracts may generate payments approaching $100 per prisoner per day.
LaSalle Corrections
The lawsuit states that the Law Enforcement District entered into an Operations and Management Agreement with LaSalle Corrections around August 2024.
According to the petition, LaSalle is contractually involved in operating the Detention Center and housing non-parish prisoners. The parish alleges that the arrangement allows outside prisoners to be housed in beds within a jail facility that was built and funded for the benefit of Natchitoches Parish taxpayers.
The parish argues that expenses such as utilities and other variable operating costs should be divided based on the percentage of parish prisoners compared with non-parish prisoners housed at the Detention Center.
Moving parish prisoners elsewhere
The parish also challenges the transfer of Natchitoches Parish prisoners to jails in other parishes.
The petition alleges that parish prisoners have sometimes been moved out of the Natchitoches Detention Center while non-parish prisoners remained in the facility.
The parish argues that this can cause Natchitoches Parish taxpayers to pay another jail to house local prisoners while the local Detention Center continues housing outside prisoners for compensation.
The petition also argues that state law places conditions on when parish prisoners may be transferred and requires certain notice to the district court.
Who counts as a parish prisoner
Another dispute involves how prisoners are classified for billing purposes.
The parish alleges that it has been billed for some prisoners who should instead be classified as state Department of Corrections prisoners, federal or immigration detainees, probation or parole violators, or prisoners being held because of warrants or charges from other jurisdictions.
The parish is asking the court to establish clear rules for determining when someone legally qualifies as a Natchitoches Parish prisoner whose costs may be charged to parish government.
What the parish wants the judge to do
The parish is not simply asking the court to decide one disputed invoice.
It is seeking a broad declaration defining the financial responsibilities of the parish, sheriff and Law Enforcement District going forward.
Among other things, the parish asks the court to determine which jail expenses it must pay, which expenses belong to the sheriff, how costs involving non-parish prisoners should be allocated, when parish prisoners can be transferred elsewhere and how prisoners must be classified before the parish can be billed.
The parish also seeks additional relief involving money it claims may have been improperly charged or paid, along with court costs.
Editor’s note: This article summarizes the allegations, legal arguments and requested relief contained in the lawsuit filed by Natchitoches Parish Government. The claims described above represent the parish government’s position and are allegations, not findings of fact by the court. Sheriff R. Stuart Wright and the Natchitoches Parish Law Enforcement District are entitled to respond to the lawsuit, and the court has not ruled on the merits of the parish government’s claims.