Bryant tried to distance himself from the scandal, which reached newspapers across the country. However, Bryant later pledged to never issue pardons and spoke of the Legislature restricting future governors’ pardon powers. Bryant’s inauguration day was overshadowed by Barbour’s decision to part. Bryant’s communications team was overloaded with questions about the pardons from reporters. Bryant reacted privately, according to several sources close to him. Bryant, eight years later, leaves his successor as Gov. Tate Reeves was in a similar crisis in corrections on his first day as governor. Reeves will have to navigate the crisis with no permanent leader at the Mississippi Department of Corrections. As of January 15, the agency’s two top leaders, Pelicia and Jerry Hall, have resigned to make way for opportunities in the private sector. This reality falls on Reeves, who is chief executive of the state and oversees the department. Reeves announced several head appointments to state agencies since his election in November. However, he has yet to appoint a corrections chief. Mississippi Today was told by sources familiar with Reeves’ plans that Reeves had discussed the appointment of an interim commissioner as well as a national search to find a permanent corrections leader. The interim commissioner and national search for a permanent corrections leader are not clear. A spokesperson for the department did not immediately respond. In recent years, violent uprisings have been triggered by state overcrowding and underfunding. At least five of these inmates were killed in one of the most recent cases. Bryant used an obscure state law in his last hours of office to sign a $2.1million contract with a private prison firm to house 375 state prisoners for 90 days. This was because the conditions in a state facility were so dangerous. Many lawmakers are questioning the legality and cost of the contract. They may have to pass a deficit budget in the 2020 legislative session. Jay-Z and Yo Gotti, two of the most well-known hip-hop artists, filed a lawsuit against this week. This brought international attention to the crisis and many advocates rallied at Capitol multiple times during the first week. A U.S. Congressman and powerful advocacy organizations wrote a letter to U.S. Department of Justice begging them to intervene and make state leaders act. Reeves was facing an unexpected political storm in his first day of office. He added a refrain regarding the prisons crisis to his 13-minute-long, inaugural address on Tuesday. Reeves stated in his inaugural address, “Here’s my promise: This administration will be for all Mississippi.” “… This will involve cleaning up corrections — in order to ensure safety and dignity for all citizens.” The history of the Department of Corrections is not a good one. Bryant was reappointed Barbour’s agency chief Chris Epps in 2012 when he took office as governor. Epps was indicted for federal corruption two years into Bryant’s term. He received more than $1million in kickbacks, bribes, and used his government position to steer corrections industry contracts to private firms. Although Reeves didn’t oversee the corrections department for the past eight years directly, advocates who have spent many years warning politicians about the dangers the prison system faces, blam Reeves just as much for the underfunding. Reeves was lieutenant governor over the past eight years and had a large influence on the state’s finances. He also oversaw budget cuts to the Department of Corrections for several fiscal years. Advocates wrote Jan. 7 asking for an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. “State officials admit but refuse to address dangerous and widespread staffing shortages in state-owned MDOC facilities. Reeves stated that gang violence in prisons is his top priority in his few statements this year about the prison system. Advocates recognize the existence of gang activity in prisons, but they also say that there needs to be an improvement in prison conditions, funding and sentencing standards. Victim’s Voice advocate Sharon Brown said last week, “Stop with all the lies.” “Families are afraid to speak up because their loved ones will be thrown in jail and have the shitbeaten out of them,” Sharon Brown, an advocate with Victim’s Voice, said at a rally last week. It’s not a gang war. It is a systemic battle.” She pointed out the Capitol and said: “The largest gang sits right there.”