Prison system, State police under review

Legislators demanded a deeper investigation into the finances of the prison rodeo held at Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola after a Legislative Audit Council review raised additional questions about potential mishandling of funds.
In addition to that, state Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera on Tuesday said, state auditors are launching an investigation into the Louisiana State Police and have begun to gather intelligence. State Police is under fire for lax oversight of travel expenses, a situation that has forced the resignation of the head of the agency.
Rep. Marcus Hunter, D-Monroe, called on Purpera and Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections Secretary Jimmy LeBlanc to review a decade’s worth of rodeo financial records and related banking documents.
Hunter commended LeBlanc and current Angola warden Darrel Vannoy on their efforts to push the needle forward, but said he still needs to see more effort.
On Jan. 23, the state legislative auditor released a report detailing how former Warden Burl Cain reportedly utilized $27,000 in state funds to purchase appliances and furnishings for his private residence, had prison employees work on personal properties in East Baton Rouge Parish and Memphis, Tennessee, and allegedly allowed family members to stay overnight in state-owned housing on Angola’s grounds on 188 occasions.
Additionally, the audit raised questions about the management of funds generated by the prison’s popular rodeo. In 2014 and 2015, the Angola rodeo generated roughly $6 million, which was reportedly placed into a separate bank account in St. Francisville instead of being deposited into the appropriate state-managed accounts.
Sen. Jay Luneau, D-Alexandria, said the problems at Angola stemmed from a systemic virus that was poisoning the prison’s administration, and legislators and state taxpayers required further assurance similar incidents will not happen in the future.
“This whole thing is a horrible embarrassment to the state of Louisiana,” Luneau said. “It’s an embarrassment to your department. It’s an embarrassment to the Legislature. We can’t have this.”
Luneau said the Department of Corrections must establish a hard line on supervisors offering employees auxiliary work opportunities in order to prevent future conflicts of interest. He also said employees should have a mandatory reporting policy if such incidents arise, and better oversight must be given to financial accounts.
Department of Public Safety and Corrections Undersecretary Thomas Bickham said the department has taken strides to meet the auditor’s recommendations for improvement. It has reinforced its timekeeping policies, disciplined involved employees, and strengthened housing and banking policies, among other measures, he noted.
Luneau said he appreciates the department’s efforts, but there are no excuses for what happened and the department must continue to make every necessary change to ensure a similar incident does not happen again.
Vannoy said he’s doesn’t plan to repeat the past.
“I’m the warden at Angola,” Vannoy said. “Bottom line, the buck stops with me. I’m going to be a good steward of the state’s money. I would never embarrass myself, Secretary LeBlanc, the department or the state of Louisiana. I’m going to do the right thing.”