05/30/2026
Sheriff, Board of Supervisors, and the Jail:
(Clarke County Tribune)
There has been some confusion as to the relationship between the Sheriff and Board of Supervisors and who enforces the grand jury report of the jail.
The Clarke County Board of Supervisors (BOS) does not have any authority over the Sheriff.
The Sheriff is hired by the voters of each county.
The BOS of each county in Mississippi controls the budget of the Sheriff and the jail, and that is the extent of the purview. The BOS does not employ the Sheriff, nor do they have the legal authority to fire, ask to resign, or investigate a Sheriff.
The Sheriff requests a budget each year for the jail, and the BOS works with the Sheriff to fund that budget within the confines of the expected revenue without raising the millage rate. Just as the Sheriff requests a budget each year for the jail, they also request money each year for their department operating budget, which includes salaries and hourly rates of pay for deputies.
The Clarke County BOS has approved a substantial budget increase for the Sheriff each of the last two years for "officer retention."
The BOS does not have the legal authority to tell the Sheriff how to allocate those raises for deputies.
Most of that increase came from income received from housing City of Meridian inmates.
If repairs to the jail are needed throughout the year, the Sheriff obtains quotes to repair and submits that to the BOS to put on the minutes and approve the expenditure.
The past two and a half years, while Sheriff Anthony Chancelor has been in office, the BOS have yet to deny a request for repairs to the jail by the Sheriff.
Sheriff Chancelor distributes the payroll budget as he sees fit within his department. The BOS has allowed the purchase of seven officer vehicles in the past two and a half years, body cameras, new body worn armor, new officer weapons, and various software systems for compliance and running the jail.
The two previous grand jury reports reported that the jail was clean and well maintained. The most current grand jury report and the one from December 2025 both state that more storage space is needed, new locks for cell doors, cameras that need to be upgraded and repaired, and more cameras are needed. The jail currently has two cameras that are not working according to Sheriff Chancelor.
A typical jail has a useful physical life expectancy of 30 years. Some places can stretch it to 50 years if they have the funds to do major upgrades. The Clarke County Jail was built in 1994. It is now 32 years old. The current grand jury report reflects the jail showing its age. The only way to have the budget for a new jail is for the BOS to raise taxes.
Other concerns in the grand jury report are things that can be addressed now are dirty cell windows, mattresses on the floor, and sheets hanging in the cells. Who oversees making sure those items are done? The grand jury and citizens. The BOS cannot do anything about it. The grand jury reports are what are used to document the status of the jail. The citizens are responsible for putting pressure on law enforcement to ensure the jail is in compliance.
