Legislature calls for investigation of Mass. sheriffs' spending

BOSTON —

State House and Senate budget writers are refusing to fund a request from Massachusetts sheriffs to reimburse them for $162 million in overspending until the state Inspector General can investigate the county sheriffs' finances.

Sheriffs have blamed the cost of drug rehab programs, free phone calls for inmates, and -- the biggest factor -- their payrolls.

This isn't the first year the sheriffs have overspent, but it is the biggest. But instead of reimbursing them like in the past, the Legislature's budget writers announced Tuesday that they are withholding most of that $162 million until the state Inspector General helps them understand why the deficit is so big.

In response, the Massachusetts Sheriffs' Association and sheriffs said in a statement they "...understand and respe