A new prison is coming to town, according to Evangeline Parish Sheriff, Charles Guillory.
The Sheriff recently received a 25-million-dollar bond from Whitney Hancock Bank. As a result, he said he plans to open a new facility to house 200 inmates from across the parish.
"I have to pick other jails and other institutions [to house inmates] for 26 dollars and 39 cents a day [per inmate] to house excess that we have in this jail," Sheriff Guillory said.
Since the Evangeline Parish Jail was designed to hold 72 inmates roughly forty years ago, The Sheriff believes the city has outgrown the space.
"It would be additional revenue for the Sheriff's Office," Sheriff Guillory said. "And, simultaneously, the inmate could earn a trade through a work release program...If they go off-shore, I would bring them off-shore. If they stay off-shore for two or three weeks, I get a portion of that check, the inmate gets a portion of that check, but I don't give it to them until they are released on parole."
Some life-long Ville Platte residents like Patrick Guillory believe a lot of people incarcerated deserve a second chance. Guillory said he believes a new work release program would benefit the community.
"If they create a working area for these prisoners and it's helping to support the prison, it would be awesome," Guillory said. "It would give them a chance to straighten themselves out when they get out."
Sheriff Guillory said he anticipates the new prison will open at the end of 2024 on Maxie Rae Boulevard in Ville Platte.
