(a) The Sheriff of Lee County or the authorized agents of the sheriff may operate an inmate commissary for prisoners within the confines of the county jail. The inmate commissary shall be operated to serve the needs of the jail population.
(b)(1) The sheriff shall establish and maintain a Lee County Commissary Fund in a bank located in Lee County. All proceeds collected under this section shall be deposited by the sheriff into the Lee County Commissary Fund.
(2) The sheriff shall keep an account of all inmate commissary sales and transactions of the Lee County Commissary Fund for annual audit by the Department of Examiners of Public Accounts, which shall be audited at the same time that other accounts of the sheriff are audited. The Department of Examiners of Public Accounts shall submit a copy of the audit to the sheriff within 30 days of its completion.
(c) All profits realized pursuant to the operation of the inmate commissary shall be expended at the discretion of the sheriff for any lawful purpose related to the operation of the Lee County Jail and the office of the sheriff, including, but not limited to, the purchase and maintenance of office equipment, inmate recreation, inmate welfare salary supplements, and training.
(d) The establishment of the Lee County Commissary Fund and the use of the proceeds shall not diminish or take the place of any other source of income established for the sheriff or the operation of the office.
(e) Any actions relating to the operation of an inmate commissary in the county jail prior to May 27, 1997, are ratified and confirmed. Any existing proceeds derived from the operation of an inmate commissary in the county jail prior to May 27, 1997, shall be deposited into the Lee County Commissary Fund created by this act.