Judge rules in favor of Jefferson County in jail dispute

After years of legal challenges between the City of Pine Bluff and Jefferson County over jail housing fees, the Arkansas Court of Appeals affirmed the lower court's decision in favor of the county.

By: Rebecca Brown
THV11

After years of legal challenges culminating in a favorable court decision regarding a long-standing dispute between the City of Pine Bluff and Jefferson County over jail housing fees, many people were relieved.

"Obviously, it was a huge win for us," explained Jefferson County Sheriff Lafayette Woods Jr. "This has been a long court battle as a result of a suit filed by the city of Pine Bluff regarding billing that had not been satisfied, that we have sent out for housing municipal prisoners for [the] adult detention facility."

The dispute dates back to 1993. The county started the process of building a new jail in 2007. The city cut a deal designed to pay for the number of people from Pine Bluff who ended up in jail.

However, the agreement with Pine Bluff to pay for city detainees fell apart, which led to disagreements over unpaid bills. In 2020, the Jefferson County Quorum Court passed an ordinance that required the city to pay $30 per day for each detainee.

One year later, the city sued and said that the old agreement blocked the county's new ordinance.

"At that time, the amount owed was $191,000, I believe, a little bit more than that. And at that point, they decided, rather than pay the actual amount that was unpaid at that point, to appeal that decision," explained Sheriff Woods.

This week, the Arkansas Court of Appeals affirmed the lower court's decision in favor of the county.

"The money was owed then, and including interest, would be assessed to the city, and they will be responsible for paying that amount, plus the rate going forward that's negotiated and agreed upon by the county and the city," added the sheriff.

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