The Office of the Inspector General, Audit Division, has completed an audit of the Orleans Parish Criminal Sheriff’s Office (OPCSO) Intergovernmental Service Agreements (IGAs) with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the United States Marshals Service (USMS). The IGA with the INS stipulates a rate of $46 per jail day1 for the long-term detention and care of aliens. The INS also has a $21 per jail day rate for airport cases, which are defined as stays 7 days or less in detention. The USMS rate is $45 per jail day for the housing, safekeeping, and subsistence of adult male and female federal prisoners. The Bureau of Prisons does not have an IGA with the OPCSO but uses the existing USMS agreement at $45 per jail day. Under the 1992 INS and 1984 USMS agreements, the OPCSO agrees to provide for the secure custody, care, and safekeeping of federal detainees and inmates in accordance with state and local laws, standards, policies, procedures, or court orders applicable to the operations of the facility. The OPCSO agrees to provide federal detainees, and inmates with the same level of medical care and services provided local prisoners, including transportation and security for prisoners requiring removal from the facility for emergency medical services. The Orleans Parish Correction Center’s capacity is approximately 6,500 inmates. During 2001, approximately 285 federal detainees and inmates were housed daily at the Orleans Parish Correction Center. In 2000, approximately 340 federal detainees and inmates were housed daily at the Orleans Parish Correction Center. During this 2-year period, the INS paid the OPCSO $5,728,886 and the USMS paid $4,345,110.
The purpose of the audit was to establish a jail day rate based on allowable 2001 and 2000 historical costs for the detention and care of inmates under OMB Circular A-87, “Cost Principles for State, Local and Indian Tribal Government.” Based on our audit of actual costs and the actual daily population, we determined that the OPCSO’s actual costs do not support the rates used to bill the Department under the agreements, and as a result we determined that the:
- OPSCO over-billed the INS $971,225, and the USMS $779,585 for a total of $1,750,810 for 2001;
- OPSCO over-billed the INS $1,312,943, and the USMS $976,947 for a total of $2,289,890 for 2000; and
- INS and the USMS may realize a combined annual savings of $1,750,810 if the audit determined jail day rate is implemented.
These items are described in details in the Findings and Recommendations section of the report. Our audit scope and methodology appear in Appendix II.