Beating sparks privatization talks
Source: By ROBIN FITZGERALD, Sun Herald (MS), Fri, Mar. 31, 2006
GULFPORT - The issue of privatizing the Harrison County jail rears its head as county supervisors grapple with growing frustrations over a wrongful-death lawsuit involving an inmate. Aside from liability concerns in the homicide of Jessie Lee Williams Jr., county supervisors say they have related concerns: the secrecy, the public's trust, communication problems with the sheriff and the merits of hiring a private company to run the jail. ...... Supervisor Larry Benefield said the timing is "excellent" for considering a private company to run the jail. "All we know about the jail incident is what we've read in the newspaper. We represent the taxpayers, yet we're like the last to know, officially, what it's about. In my opinion, privatization could save us money and would require the private company to bear a lot of the legal responsibility in a case like this."