Art. 228.2. Disposal of property of prisoners; Orleans Parish excepted

A. Any property taken from a prisoner in any of the penal institutions under the jurisdiction of any sheriff, Orleans excepted, which is in the possession of the sheriff on July 31, 2001, shall, after ninety days from the release of said prisoner, be disposed of, if unclaimed, in the following manner:

(1) There shall be notice of the sheriff's right to dispose of the property in ninety days on the entry of the list of property made at the time the person was incarcerated. Provided however, this provision shall not apply to property in possession of the sheriff on September 12, 1975.

(2) After the passage of ninety days from the release of the prisoner, any sheriff may petition the court having proper jurisdiction for the disposal of said property in any lawful manner, at his discretion.

(3) Before any sheriff petitions said court, he shall cause an advertisement of his intention to seek approval of the court to be placed in the newspaper designated as the official journal of the parish one time at least ten days prior to filing of his petition and shall mail a copy of the advertisement to the prisoner at his last known address, postage prepaid. In the petition for disposal the sheriff shall set forth a brief description of the items to be disposed of, the court in which the proceedings will be filed, the title of the proceedings, and method or methods of intended disposal.

(4) The petition of the sheriff shall make specific recommendations as to the method of disposal for each item of unclaimed property and pray for the court to order its disposal.

(5) The court shall order the property disposed of in the manner contained in the sheriff's petition or order the disposal of the property in any legal manner within the sole discretion of the court.

(6) The costs of the proceedings to dispose of unclaimed property shall be derived from the disposal of the property as provided under this Subsection.

(7) Any funds remaining after payment of the cost of the proceedings to dispose of unclaimed property shall be deposited in the sheriff's salary fund.

B. Any property taken from a prisoner in any of the penal institutions under the jurisdiction of any sheriff, Orleans excepted, after July 31, 2001, shall be disposed of after ninety days from the release or transfer of the prisoner, if unclaimed, in the following manner:

(1) The sheriff shall make a notation on the property list of the prisoner at the time of incarceration that he has the right to dispose of unclaimed property as provided in this Paragraph.

(2) The sheriff or an officer acting on his behalf shall provide written notice of the sheriff's right to dispose of unclaimed property to each prisoner upon the release or transfer of such prisoner. The sheriff or officer shall require the prisoner to sign the written notice acknowledging the sheriff's right to dispose of such property. In the event that the prisoner refuses to sign the acknowledgment, the sheriff or officer shall make a notation on the written notice that the prisoner refused to sign the acknowledgment of such right.

(3) After notice is given to the prisoner and after the expiration of ninety days from the date of release or transfer of the prisoner, if the property of the prisoner remains unclaimed, the sheriff may dispose of such property in any lawful manner at his discretion, including but not limited to authorizing the unclaimed property to be destroyed, donated to a charitable organization, or put into lawful use within the institution from which the inmate was released or transferred. Any legal tender which remains unclaimed shall be placed in a fund for the benefit of all inmates at such institution. A record of the disposition of all unclaimed property shall be maintained for a period of two years from the date of disposal.

C. For the purposes of this Article, "unclaimed property" means property that a prisoner leaves at a correctional institution or fails to take upon his release or transfer from the institution and to which no claim is made within ninety days of his release or transfer from the institution.

Added by Acts 1975, No. 544, §1; Acts 2001, No. 1123, §1, eff. June 28, 2001.