Numerous investments by the Iberia Parish Council into the Iberia Parish Jail this year are the latest in bringing a facility that was only recently recertified under Basic Jail Guidelines to an acceptable state.

The officials in charge of the jail say a quality facility is key to keeping a happy workforce alongside inmates who shouldn’t feel tempted to restless misbehavior and shouldn’t be treated as less than human.

“It’s to keep the morale of everyone up,” said Paul Scott, the jail’s warden. 

“If you get everything done the way it’s supposed to be, that in and of itself is such a morale booster for the staff and the inmates.”

Recent expenses include around $60,000 for repairing or replacing smoke exhaust fans and $44,422 for a new layer of concertina wire along the fencing. Emergency repairs to the jail’s sewage system several times last year eventually resulted in the installation of equipment to sift out large and small items inmates routinely flush down toilets that clog and damage the system.

In May, $1,760 was even allocated to pay for the jail’s cable services to each of its TVs for the rest of the year, including those used by the inmates. Scott defended that measure as one of the most effective ways of abating restless inmates.

“It’s little simple things where you help the inmates with their stay here,” he explained. “They’re just so happy they can see the outside world a little bit. If you have nothing to occupy the inmates’ time, they have nothing to do but plan mischief.”

Maj. Ryan Turner, public information officer for the Sheriff’s Office, pointed out that although the jail holds some state and federal prisoners (for which they are compensated), the jail mostly houses inmates who are awaiting trial and either haven’t bonded out or were denied bond.

When Iberia Parish Sheriff Louis Ackal kicked off his first term in 2008, he brought area media to the jail almost immediately to document the poor state of the jail he’d just inherited. 

Locks to doors didn’t work. Showers and bathrooms were covered in rust and mold. There were no fences. 

The central control center hardware was so outdated it required $20,000 each time it broke down just to bring a specialist from out of state to assess the problem.

“The previous (sheriff) didn’t do what they were supposed to do,” Ackal said. 

“They didn’t spend the money to repair the jail.”

Ackal, who is running for re-election this year, said he spent more than $2 million out of his own budget to drag the jail through physical improvements before handing the keys to Iberia Parish Government — which owns and bears responsibility for the jail itself.

Since 2012, the parish has spent $615,628 on building maintenance and repairs, according to financial records. 

Since 2008, it has spent $422,247 on equipment repair and maintenance.