/Former corrections chief takes job with state’s prison phone contractor

Former corrections chief takes job with state’s prison phone contractor

In January, Hall quit the Mississippi Department of Corrections amid increasing public scrutiny of in-custody deaths as well as conditions in prison cells. According to her LinkedIn profile, she began working at Global Tel*Link Corp. as the “Senior vice president of Reentry”. In an email, Randy Brown, a GTL spokesperson wrote that Pelicia has more than eight years’ experience in corrections, having worked as a legal counsel and as a Commissioner of Mississippi. “We are pleased to welcome her to our team. She will work to further our goal of improving outcomes for both prisoners and correctional facilities, with a particular focus on preparing people for life after incarceration.” GTL didn’t provide any further information about Hall’s role nor did they respond to a request for interviews. Gov. Phil Bryant appointed Hall to the top post of corrections in 2017, making her first female head of the agency. Hall was previously the interim commissioner following Marshall Fisher’s appointment to the Department of Public Safety. After Hall’s departure, newly-elected Gov. Tate Reeves appointed Tommy Taylor, an ex-state legislator and Boyle mayor, as interim commissioner. Since then, the governor has announced a nationwide search for a long-term replacement. Since 2005, GTL has partnered with Mississippi to provide telephone equipment and services to people in state prisons. The company settled for $2.5 million a civil RICO suit filed by Jim Hood, then-Attorney general. This suit was just one of many that detailed an alleged bribery scheme where multiple businesses and individuals used consultants to pay kickbacks to Christopher Epps, former commissioner, in return for contracts. After the Federal Communications Commission established new rules for a cap on prison call rates, the cost of calling MDOC facilities fell from 11 cents per min to 3.9 cents/minute in 2018. Since 2018, the most recent contract does not require GTL pay any portion of its phone call revenue to the state. To improve re-entry outcomes, the company promoted the use tablets by inmates._x000D