Evangeline Parish unveils new $22 million detention center

VILLE PLATTE, La. (KALB) - Elected leaders in Evangeline Parish are celebrating a new detention center set to open in the coming weeks.

The public got a first look inside the facility during a sneak peek event on April 17.

The 45,000-square-foot detention center sits on five of 10 acres donated by the police jury. The price tag is $22 million.

“So it’s not cheap,” Sheriff Charles Guillory said.

The funding comes from a $25 million bond backed by a one percent sales tax voters approved in 2021.

Guillory said the community made it happen.

“It takes teamwork. And all the people of Evangeline Parish, we did it together. We pulled it off,” he said.

Capacity and features

The new facility can house 200 medium-security inmates, including 20 women, and 18 maximum-security inmates. There are also three juvenile holding cells limited to 72 hours.

For Guillory, the extra space is a game-changer.

“We have room. We have room. The other facility, we have no room. We can’t do anything,” he said.

He was referring to the current jail in downtown Ville Platte next to the courthouse, which will still be used on trial days.

State Sen. Heather Cloud said the problem goes beyond space.

“You know, just lack of security, the facility being so old and dilapidated,” she said.

Security and rehabilitation

The new center is built with security in mind. It will have seven detention officers per shift and extensive camera coverage. Design features are meant to prevent escapes.

“So if you’re coming into this particular facility, you’re not getting out on your own volition,” Cloud said.

Leaders said the facility is about more than confinement. Guillory plans to focus on rehabilitation with programs funded through the Department of Corrections, including mental health services and education. He also hopes to add a chapel.

“Many people, when they view these facilities, view them simply as a place to hold people. But this can also have the possibility of a place of transformation and resurrection for those who are spending time here,” Father Casey Dugas said.

Dugas blessed the facility and hopes to minister to inmates.

“Hopefully, bring about a transformation that when they leave here, they become productive members of our society,” he said.

Modern technology and cost savings

The facility features modern upgrades like virtual courtroom technology, allowing inmates to appear before a judge without leaving the building. That could save the parish money.

The sheriff’s office currently spends $30,000 to $50,000 a month housing around 40 inmates elsewhere.

“So, guess what? That 30 or 40, I don’t have to pay for anymore. So, we’ll bring them back home. And we want to bring them back on because they’re from Evangeline Parish. They have family here. We do have visitation where they can come in and visit. So, it’s going to work out pretty good,” Guillory said.

Guillory said inmates could be moved into the new facility within the next three to four weeks. He also plans to expand the sheriff’s office footprint on the 10-acre site in the future.

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