Raymond Detention Center to be overseen by federal receiver, court orders

• Wendell France Jr. will soon take over “operational control” of the struggling Raymond Detention Center.

On October 1, a troubled Hinds County adult detention facility will enter federal receivership, despite the county’s contention that it has met earlier requirements set by a federal judge.

Wendell France Jr. will take over “operational control” of the struggling Raymond Detention Center. Court documents show that France will have executive, management, and leadership powers over the embattled jail.

The facility was designed to hold 600 inmates, but several factors, including overcrowding, lack of supervision, and staffing contributed to seven inmates dying in 2021, court records show.

France is a public safety consultant, former correctional administrator, and 27-year employee of the Baltimore Police Department. His duties will be to remedy “ongoing unconstitutional conditions” at the Raymond Detention Center, U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves wrote in his order.

The receivership comes three years after Reeves first decided to place the facility in federal hands. The court found the facility had “unconstitutional conditions” for inmates and appointed a federal receiver.

Hinds County appealed the ruling, citing that the receiver would be “utterly unaccountable” to voters and taxpayers. However, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the Reeves ruling but took budgeting powers away. The Court of Appeals wrote that Reeves gave the receiver “overly broad” powers when it came to the facility’s annual budget.

Last week, after a status conference hearing to determine how the court would proceed, “it became clear to the court that the monitors needed to regain access to the Raymond Detention Facility to assess the current condition of the jail,” Reeves wrote.

“The monitors have begun their services to the court. They have now submitted an invoice with the appropriate documentation for their work performed,” he stated.

The Reeves ruling came after monitors visited the facility from April to June 2025. A report identified certain areas of progress since 2022. However, it also concluded that significant deficiencies persist.

Staffing, the report reads, is “the biggest problem.” The report states nearly 250 people are needed to run the jail’s two pods, plus administrators and support staff. Yet, Hinds County only has 71 staff positions budgeted at the Raymond Detention Center.

“That means that the facility is short by 174.6 positions. It also means that only 28.8 percent of the required positions are filled,” monitors wrote. “The sheriff is using patrol officers to supplement detention personnel in performing some duties… This is helpful, but cannot make up for the severity of the staff shortage.”

The county has said finding staff at the facility is difficult, even after offering pay raises, part-time positions, and flexible work shifts.

Hinds County Board of Supervisors President Robert Graham said, “It’s difficult to find anyone who wants to work in [that] environment. It’s not here. It’s nationwide.”

The monitor report states that while “significant” changes have been made to the jail since late 2022, there are still numerous areas that need improvement. The jail closed the violent A-Pod, but “unfortunately, conditions in B and C-Pods have significantly deteriorated,” the report reads.

In April, the county questioned whether a federal receivership is needed. The county argues that the court should look at the current condition of the jail to see if constitutional violations are still present.

“Put simply, there is no evidence in the record showing what the conditions are at RDC today, and thus, the court cannot ‘develop a new description of the receivers’ powers’ and enter a remedial order sufficient under the mandate and existing Fifth Circuit precedent,” Hinds County attorneys wrote to the federal court.

County officials also contend that when the receivership happens, his duties are limited by the federal Prison Litigation Reform Act, which limits receivers’ roles solely to addressing Constitutional violations.