§874. Compensation account

The inmate's compensation account shall be handled and accounted for as follows:

(1) Each foreman of inmates shall keep an accurate daily record, on forms provided, of the skill and industry of each inmate at his work and the time spent at such work. These records shall be submitted weekly to the accounting office of the penitentiary and shall serve as the basis for computing compensation.

(2) The inmate's compensation record, including a record of any wages earned working in a certified Private Sector/Prison Industry Enhancement program, shall be kept on forms prescribed and shall show the total amount earned by each inmate and shall show a distribution of said total on the basis of fifty percent for the inmate's drawing account and fifty percent for the inmate's savings account, except as otherwise provided in Paragraph (4) of this Section.

(3) Expenditures may be made for or on behalf of the inmate from his personal account in strict conformity with rules and regulations pertaining thereto.

(4)(a) All or any part of the amounts credited to the inmate's savings account may, upon written request, be expended for accredited educational courses or the purchase of bonds of the state of Louisiana or the United States. Any bonds so purchased shall be held for the inmate in the same manner as other money or personal property belonging to the inmate. The funds from bonds redeemed or cashed during the inmate's term of sentence shall revert to the account from which it originated.

(b) In addition, all or part of the amounts credited to any inmate's drawing or savings account may, upon the written request or authorization of the inmate or upon order of a court of competent jurisdiction, be expended for the payment of court costs in a matter in which the inmate is a party.

(c) When an inmate's savings account attains a balance of at least two hundred fifty dollars, the inmate may deposit future compensation into either his savings account or his personal drawing account. When an inmate selects to have future compensation deposited to his personal drawing account as provided herein, and subsequently a court of competent jurisdiction orders payment of court costs in a matter to which the inmate is a party causing the inmate's account balance to be less than two hundred fifty dollars, thirty percent of future compensation shall be deposited to his drawing account and seventy percent shall be distributed toward payment of the court costs.

(d) The funds credited to the inmate's drawing or savings account may be withdrawn to satisfy any medical or dental copayment in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 15:831(B)(2).

(e) The funds credited to the inmate's drawing or savings account may be withdrawn to satisfy any restitution imposed by the Department of Public Safety and Corrections and those accounts may be frozen by the warden until the amount of restitution due from the inmate has been withdrawn from the accounts and paid to the institution in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 15:875.

(f) Except as provided in Paragraph (7) of this Section, money may not be withdrawn from an inmate's savings account for any other reason prior to his discharge or parole, unless authorized by the secretary of the department.

(g) In all criminal cases and in proceedings connected with criminal cases relating to a violation of state law, except for bond forfeiture proceedings, upon presentation to the Department of Public Safety and Corrections of a certified copy of the appeal or writ to a court of appeal of a matter in which the inmate is a party, upon the written request or authorization of the inmate, or upon order of a court of competent jurisdiction, the department shall withdraw funds from an inmate's drawing or savings account for the payment of the fees to the parish which has paid the cost of appeal. All funds so collected shall be forwarded to the parish which has paid the cost of appeal. The department shall deduct the amount of the fee from the inmate's drawing or savings account. Except as otherwise authorized by law, the department shall prohibit withdrawals from the account until the costs have been paid in full to the parish which has paid the cost of appeal.

(5) All past and present interest income earned from the investment of inmates' money shall be deposited in the fund established for the benefit of all inmates pursuant to R.S. 15:866.2. The interest earned may be used to help defray administrative costs, to seed new institutions' inmate welfare funds, and to provide for other expenditures which will benefit the inmate population. The interest earned may also be used to provide assistance to indigent inmates participating in the reentry process who have been released from physical custody but remain under the supervision of the division of probation and parole. Such assistance for indigent inmates released under supervision may include but not be limited to assistance with obtaining proper identification, work placement, counseling, transportation, education, and housing.

(6) All inmates released or discharged after payments are begun shall receive the total of accumulations due them in such installments and at such times as provided for by regulations.

(7) Upon presentation to the Department of Public Safety and Corrections of a court order or a certified copy of an extract of the minutes of a court proceeding showing that an inmate was convicted and was assessed court costs, along with a letter from the sheriff itemizing the costs assessed and verifying which of the costs were not paid, the department shall withdraw funds from any of the inmate's accounts for the payment of court costs due. All funds so collected shall be forwarded to the court that assessed the costs; however, if the inmate has not paid the costs assessed in accordance with Crime Victims Reparations Act, R.S. 46:1801, et seq., those costs shall be collected and shall be credited directly to the Crime Victims Reparations Fund, R.S. 46:1816, after all other costs are paid. The department shall notify the court if the costs for the Crime Victims Reparations Fund have been collected. The funds in an inmate's accounts shall not be reduced by more than seventy-five percent in accordance with this Section.

(8) The warden, or his or her designee, shall make an accounting to the inmate showing each time the inmate's accounts are debited.

Acts 1956, No. 554, §6. Amended by Acts 1976, No. 575, §1; Acts 1983, No. 163, §1; Acts 1985, No. 195, §1, eff. July 6, 1985; Acts 1986, No. 324, §1; Acts 1990, No. 329, §1; Acts 1994, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 87, §1; Acts 1995, No. 644, §1; Acts 1997, No. 528, §1; Acts 1997, No. 597, §1, eff. July 3, 1997; Acts 1997, No. 626, §1; Acts 1999, No. 699, §2; Acts 2008, No. 252, §1; Acts 2012, No. 545, §1.