State recovers $884,000 in incarceration expenses

“I’m proud of the investigative work done by my staff to discover these assets, which are sometimes well-hidden,” said Attorney General Jay Nixon in a news release. “Taxpayers should not have to shoulder the costs for inmates who have the assets to pay for their own care.”

The funds are collected through the 1988 Missouri Incarceration Reimbursement Act, which entitles the state to recover up to 90 percent of an inmate’s assets after any obligations to a spouse or children are met.

Since taking office in 1993, Nixon has collected more than $3.3 million from inmates to reimburse the state for incarceration costs, which average approximately $13,000 per inmate per year.

The largest single sums recovered in 2004 include:

• $176,429 from George Ramsey, who is serving a life sentence on a second-degree murder charge for killing his mother. Ramsey’s estate included stock, certificates of deposit and jewelry.

• $96,072 from Terrance Adams, who was convicted of first-degree robbery. Adams was a beneficiary of his brother’s trust.

• $63,989 from the estate of Irving Bledsoe, who was an inmate from 1994 to 2001 for first-degree sexual assault.

• $42,485 from Walter Williams II, who was convicted of two counts of child molestation in the first degree. Williams was an heir to his father’s estate.