Adams County could have lost almost 400 jobs in the 2,232-bed facility, which houses deportees charged with the misdemeanor of illegally entering the U.S. “It’s an enormous economic impact to us,” Chandler Russ of Natchez Inc. said to Mississippi Today. He added: “The Natchez Facility is a highly marketable assets… [It was] a] newly constructed facility. It’s in great shape, it’s functional, and it’s new as far as prisons are concerned.” According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Adams County’s unemployment rate was 6 percent as of May 2019. According to the Census Bureau, the county’s population was 31,000 in 2017. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was CoreCivic’s new tenant. Amanda Gilchrist, CoreCivic’s director of public relations, stated to the Natchez Democrat that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was facing an emerging need for detention capacity. “Working with its federal partner, CoreCivic and BOP, BOP offered the use its available space at Adams County Correctional Center to help meet ICE’s needs.” Tallahatchie County, which has a CoreCivic-run jail, was also affected by the loss of its contract with California. The company announced in 2018 that the U.S Marshals Service would take over California’s contract. Other CoreCivic customers who use Tallahatchie prison include South Carolina and Wyoming, as well as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (ICE). Although the Bureau of Prison did not give any specific reasons for its decision to leave Natchez, a 2016 monitoring report by the agency revealed that privately-operated prisons had greater safety and security issues than federally managed ones. A riot at Adams County prison in 2012 resulted in one death and many years of prosecutions for prisoners involved in the riot. Walnut Grove Correctional Facility was owned by GEO Group, a Florida-based company, and Management and Training Corp., a Utah-based company. A federal consent decree was issued in 2012 regarding conditions and abuse of children and prisoners at Walnut Grove. Walnut Grove was closed in 2016 less than a year after U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves ruled conditions had not improved and extended its consent decree. Delta Correctional Facility was closed in LeFlore County in 2012 because of declining inmate numbers. The state could not afford to close the Greenwood prison which was operated by The GEO Group. These prisons and their closings create a problem for the local communities. Prisons often provide the only job opportunities available in the region. However, the low wages and hazardous working conditions that lead to high turnover, violence, and corruption make it more costly to run prisons. This prompts some officials to ask if prisons and the jobs they provide are beneficial for the community in the long-term. However, in the short-term, prisons have provided jobs for those who are unemployed. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Mississippi has the third highest national incarceration rate, behind Oklahoma and Louisiana. It also has more than 1.5x the average concentration of correctional officer jobs, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The concentration of correctional sector jobs in Northwest Mississippi, which includes four prisons built over the past decade, is 4.6 times higher than that found in Louisiana and Oklahoma. Abe Hudson (D-Shelby), a state representative, wants to see the prison industry’s dependence decrease. Hudson stated that he would prefer to see them work in a less stressful industry that pays more and provides a more satisfying life. There are many negative aspects to working as a prison guard. “I would prefer my constituents didn’t have to rely only on that industry to gainful employment.” The 1980s and 1990s saw a steep increase in prison population across the country due to the so-called War on Drugs. This was along with other criminal justice legislation at both the federal and state levels. The Sentencing Project’s 2003 report found that for every 100 prisoners, 35 jobs were created. State prison population growth was an average of 8.1%. The report’s authors stated that “Local officials started to consider prisons an economic development tool.” David Gutierrez, a Harvard Political Review 2016 author, wrote that prisons helped to increase the number of public sector jobs in rapidly growing communities. The construction of a new prison impeded private development, which hurt struggling towns. Gutierrez stated that in general, prisons didn’t improve the unemployment rate or median family income or earnings. Greene County, Mississippi, is home to the South Mississippi Correctional Institution. Its unemployment rate is 6.6 percent, which is higher than Mississippi’s average of about 5%. R-Leakesville State Rep. Roun McNeal said that despite billboards advertising $12 an hour wages to entry level correctional officers in his hometown, residents are now wary of calling the number on the job billboard. “The prison has been around for so long that everyone knows that your supervisor might… say “Hey, somebody didn’t show up for work today so I get to work a second time.” “And you don’t get a choice,” McNeal said to Mississippi Today. Due to staff shortages, the Leakesville prison was placed on lockdown for several months. According to a MDOC press statement, in January, the prison had 31 prisoners short of its capacity and 48% of the jobs were vacant. MDOC Commissioner Pelicia Hall stated that the prison was in a “pressure cooker” situation at the time in a press release. According to the MDOC website, MDOC correctional officers earn a minimum salary of $25650.84 per year. McNeal claims that MDOC has recently increased the pay of new correctional officers who have a college degree or prior correctional experience. However, this small increase in pay does not reflect inflation. MDOC has a budget in excess of $360 million. Jody Owens was the managing attorney of Mississippi Southern Poverty Law Center. She oversaw class-action lawsuits against private prisons like Walnut Grove and East Mississippi Correctional Facility (Memphis). Owens stated that Mississippi’s $400 million budget for incarceration is misplaced and misfocused. The money should be used to keep people out of prison, not asking citizens to care for prisons. Owens is running for the Hinds County District Attorney. He says there are better ways than relying upon prisons to improve Mississippi’s economy. Owens stated that “we’re spending money, but not helping the problem” and that the budget will continue to increase in favor of incarceration over other priorities like education and public safety. McNeal says that it is difficult to determine if the economic benefits of the prison in his community. McNeal stated that it is difficult to assess the economic impact of South Mississippi Correctional because many staff members are from Mobile, Washington County, Alabama, Wayne County. “You know, some people drive an hour to get to work.”_x000D