Trump spoke of the “fantastic work” Mississippi Corrections Commissioner Pelicia Hal was doing to transform the state’s prisons into facilities that provide training for inmates for employment. Trump signed the First Step Act the following month. Its goal was to decrease federal prison populations and better prepare inmates for life after bars. According to interviews, data, and documents reviewed and approved by ProPublica and the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting, the implementation of Mississippi’s reforms was marred by broken promises, lack of funding, and other issues. Mississippi law promised that offenders would be sent to drug courts instead of prison, and that all prisoners leaving prison would have ID cards. It also provided training to parolees and prevented them from returning to prison for technical probation violations. These efforts failed in all cases. The governor. House Bill 585 was signed into law by Phil Bryant (a Republican) in 2014. The measure received widespread praise from both conservatives and liberals because it promised to lower the prison population, save millions, and reinvest some money into programs for offenders. All of the savings went back into the state’s coffers and helped to pay huge corporate tax cuts, at a time when the state was struggling with revenue estimates. The Mississippi Department of Corrections has spent $185million less over five years than if its budget was at the same level as it was in 2014. The $347 million budget of the department for the upcoming fiscal year is $30 Million less than in 2014. The number of prisoner is rising, and the department’s $347 million budget for the next fiscal year is $30 million less than it was in 2014. The Mississippi Center for Investigative Journalism and ProPublica will continue to investigate these conditions throughout the year. Hattiesburg’s Senior U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett said that House Bill 585 was a “good law” but it has not been fully implemented. It would have reduced recidivism if it had been fully implemented. We won’t know how much. Experts believe that Mississippi is a warning sign for the country as it implements First Step Act. According to Pat Nolan, the director of the American Conservative Union Foundation’s Center for Criminal Justice Reform which campaigned for passage of federal and state legislation, “eliminating prisons of offenders without treating their addiction, mental health treatment, and without job training was really irresponsible.” It’s outrageous. The per capita rate of imprisonment in the state was higher than that of countries like Russia or China. To find possible solutions, lawmakers established a bipartisan Corrections and Criminal Justice Oversight Task Force in 2013. The Mississippi Parole Board had already paroled more offenders by the time that the bill was passed in July 2014. This led to a reduction in prison population of approximately 2,000 prisoners. It fell to below 19,000. within six months. Pew Charitable Trusts provided support to officials in the reform and predicted that Mississippi would be able to save $266 millions by reducing its prison population by 2024. These numbers are cited by supporters of the First Step Act as proof of the law’s potential. At the Gulfport event, Jared Kushner, Trump’s son in law, stated that the First Step Act was based on a lot from Mississippi. However, other numbers tell a different story. Prison population has started to rise, going from 18,964 in January 2018, to 19,697 last Wednesday. This is largely due to parole and probation revocations, which have put offenders back behind bars. Mississippi will have more prisoners in 2020 than it had before reform was passed if current trends continue. Steve Pickett, Parole Board Chairman, stated that the good news is that it isn’t as high as in 2014. “But, to quote President Reagan: “Are we better off now than we were four year ago?” Do we have more probation and parole officers? Data shows that we do not have as many prison guards. According to the state Personnel Board, there were 1,591 correctional officers in the Corrections Department in 2014. There are now 772 of them, which is less than half the number. The department employed 23 vocational education teachers in 2014. There are now 15. There were three vocational counselors in 2014. There are now two. According to the state Personnel Board, there were 319 probation officials in 2014. There are now 257. The investments in prisoner training and rehabilitation have not been made. Columbian Hal Kittrell, who was the chair of the task force, is also a former president of the Mississippi Prosecutors Association. According to the Council of State Governments, Texas saw $443million in prison reform savings between 2008 and 2009. More than half of that money was used to expand drug treatment and other programs for offenders. Kittrell stated that five years after Mississippi’s House Bill 585 was passed, “we have not spent one dime more” on reentry and drug treatment, as well as mental health counseling. “Where did all the money go?” House Corrections Committee Chairman Bill Kinkade (R-Byhalia), said that Mississippi’s economy has been growing and should allow lawmakers to spend more on programs for reentry. He stated that the legislative leadership also supports this move. In recent years, the state has prioritized other priorities. In 2015, lawmakers approved $9 million in vouchers to allow special education students to go private schools. The Legislature started phasing down the corporate franchise tax that was bringing in $260 millions per year a year later. It also cut $145million in income taxes. Hall, the corrections commissioner said that she had asked the Legislature to provide more funding. Hall called the decrease in personnel “alarming”, especially for correctional officers. She stated that they can’t afford to live on $24,900 per year as an entry-level salary. She said that the promise of insurance and state retirement is not enough for families who need to provide support. However, neighboring states offer much more. Alabama, which pays thousands more than Mississippi already, may increase its starting salary. Pickett stated that one bright spot is the fact that the Corrections Department has increased funding for transitional beds. These beds are very similar to halfway houses. The number of beds remained relatively constant until last year, when they increased from 120 to 314 Kinkade asked, “Am I happy with the progress?” “No, but we are making progress and strides.” Kinkade replied. Yes, there are still tweaks to be made.” House Bill 585, among its main goals, promised to move more drug-dependent offenders from prison to drug courts. These courts provide job and life skills training, as well as treatment for drug, alcohol, and mental disorders. Pew suggested that nearly $11million in savings could be reinvested into drug courts in a memo. Instead, Mississippi legislators cut the annual budget for drug court in half from $8 million in 2013. Since then, it has increased slightly to $6.5million this year. Three-quarters of Mississippi’s 19,000 prisoners are affected by alcohol and drug addiction. Mental health issues also play a part. According to the state Personnel Board, there are only 20 licensed drug and alcohol counselors in the Corrections Department. Arkansas has eight psychologists and 33 administrators for its substance abuse programs. Arkansas has a similar prison population. Pickett stated that addiction is the prison’s driving force. The steps taken to improve community mental health are small. The Corrections Department has received $1.4million in federal grants over the last three years for treatment of drug addiction and treatment of mental illness of offenders returning to their home counties. This spring, lawmakers passed and the governor signed into law a bill that transforms the drug courts into intervention court, which can also address mental health issues affecting military veterans. Interviews with offenders revealed mixed opinions about the 12-step program for recovery. A woman who was recently released from Central Mississippi Correctional Facility had high praises for it. Another woman, who was accompanied by a different instructor, called it “a joke” and said they spent too much time watching Hollywood movies than working on their recovery. Hall stated that the recovery program is now evidence-based and has been modified. Corrections officials have to face the fact that Mississippi inmates cannot be forced into drug treatment programs like federal prisoners. She said, “I cannot make them participate.” She admitted that the system is suffering from a shortage of counselors. State Public Defender Andre de Gruy said evidence shows drug courts can reduce recidivism if operated properly. He stated, “That means clinical assessment at the front end, increased supervision, and available treatment options, especially for those who relapse.” According to the task force behind the legislation, Mississippi does not have the programs to assist offenders in their transition from prison to community. Kinkade stated that these reentry programs play an important role in the success of offenders on the outside. The House Corrections Committee chairman said that Mississippi’s inmates almost all “come home at one point or another, unsupervised and unmanaged.” Hall stated that her department will be focusing on vocational programs, educational programming, and drug treatment to correct this situation. She acknowledged that the department has had to reduce the number of correctional officers due to legislative cuts. This makes it more difficult to implement some of the reentry programs. Kinkade stated that he would like the state’s intervention courts to function like federal reentry court, offering support for offenders looking for jobs, drug and alcohol treatment, counseling, and other mental health services. Starrett is the federal judge in Hattiesburg. He recently presided over three graduates from a one-year program that helped them transform their lives. The federal reentry court is not able to hear cases in state courts. According to court figures, only five of the 35 participants in the program from 2012 were rearrested. He said that transforming these career criminals into hardworking citizens saves taxpayers millions of money. Similar policies are being followed in other states. Louisiana prison inmates are interviewed and tested to determine their needs. The officials create plans to decrease the risk of offenders returning to prison and enroll them in programs that include job training, money management, and other financial services. Hall stated that the Mississippi Corrections Department had previously conducted a risk assessment test, but there was no proof it worked. It was expensive. She said that someone sold them a bill for it. Every offender entering prison is now being tested with a new tool. She said that it will be used again when they leave. House Bill 585 calls on Mississippi’s Corrections Department (Mississippi) to provide a driver’s licence or state ID card for each of the more that 8,000 inmates who leave prison each year. However, lawmakers did not provide additional funding. According to the department, fewer than 100 offenders receive them each month. Starrett, a federal judge, stated that an ID is essential for getting a job. An ID is required to cash checks and get a job. An ID is required by the Department of Public Safety to obtain an ID card. She said that replacements can take up to six months, or more, depending on how long it takes. Louisiana corrections officials, on the other hand, try to obtain at least two forms for offenders’ identification, along with replacement birth certificates or Social Security cards, if necessary. Hall stated that she has made IDs a top priority since taking over the Corrections Department in 2017. She said that the Mississippi Department of Public Safety visits prisons up to once per week. Louisiana allows judges to preside over the reentry program. This is where nonviolent offenders facing up to 10 years imprisonment may be eligible to participate in a job-training program that can reduce their time behind bars to just two years. The recidivism rate for those who complete the program is 9.4%, as compared to more than 30% for average Louisiana inmates. In Louisiana, inmates can get more than 60 industry-based certifications that allow them to find work before they leave prison. Mississippi offers fewer than ten of these programs. Hall stated that trucking is one of the most important programs Mississippi offers. This allows offenders to get work, and it’s often a great way for them to earn a living. Louisiana is copying this program. She said that Ingalls shipbuilding also assists the department with training offenders and creating jobs. They make more than my correctional officers, earning up to $25 per hour. Mississippi offenders who are involved in vocational or educational programs have a lower rate of recidivism than the whole state, at 16% to 19%, compared with 33%. Hall stated. Support is difficult to find once you are out of prison. Mississippi does not have halfway houses and probation officers claim they are overwhelmed. A former Mississippi probation officer stated that her caseload included up to 340 offenders. Many were helped by her to get into rehabilitation, find jobs and get their drivers licenses back. The officer said that she was “desperately understaffed” and asked not to be identified for fear of losing her job in another state. It was extremely stressful.” The Corrections Department employs far fewer probation-parole officers that the American Probation and Parole Association recommended. The agency stated that it needed 233 more officers to reach the recommended levels in November 2016. Hall acknowledged that there was a shortage of staffing, although more recent data is not available. Probation officers now concentrate on high-risk offenders to address these problems. She said that with cases ranging from 200 to 300, it is not easy, if anything, to manage such large caseloads. Kittrell is a district attorney in five Mississippi counties. He said that if the state does not invest in reentry programs, then offenders will return to prison. He said, “Here they are, releasing them in the same neighbourhood, with no skills sets, and expecting a difference outcome.” “That’s insane.” *** Another priority was to reduce recidivism. According to the state’s legislative monitor, Mississippi Prison Industries, the nonprofit created by the Legislature to reduce recidivism can’t prove that it’s fulfilling its mission. The Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review Committee found that the nonprofit did not maintain accurate data on the program. They also discovered missing receipts and invoices to support travel and other expenses. The nonprofit has lost $3.2million more than it has raised in just two years. Rep. Jerry Turner, R.-Baldwyn, is the chairman of the Mississippi House Committee on Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency. He stated: “People are trying to t…”
To figure out how Mississippi Prison Industries can be made viable and more effective. “We don’t know the answer.” Officials at Mississippi Prison Industries did not respond to repeated calls. However, they defended their operation to journalists and lawmakers. House Bill 585, which seeks to decrease probation revocations by requiring judges to send offenders who are guilty of two or less technical violations to a Technical Violations Center, is a bid to lower the number of probation revocations. Many judges refused to sign the bill. In an interview, Circuit Judge Prentiss Halel, Hattiesburg, stated that judges felt like their discretion had been stripped away. Circuit Judge Dal Williamson of Laurel criticized House Bill 585, saying that it “strips away from the law the courts authority to impose severe consequences.” A second judge ruled House Bill 55 unconstitutional, stating that it violated the separations of powers. This decision was later overturned by the Mississippi Supreme Court. Some judges and prosecutors are annoyed by the push to reduce time behind bars for offenders. Ronnie Harper, Natchez District Attorney, stated that prosecutors want victims to know what to expect from an offender’s sentence. Harper stated that if the victim is promised that the offender would serve 25% of their sentence, and the offender is released early, then that could be a problem. House Bill 585 is a good start. Jody Owens II is the Southern Poverty Law Center’s managing attorney for Mississippi. He said that the law has made it possible for trial judges to give new life to nonviolent offenders. According to the board, approximately two offenders are released each month by the Parole Board under this provision. Jerry Johnson, an inmate, hopes to be released with them. He was sentenced to 60 years in prison without parole by Coahoma County Circuit Court in 1993 for two $20 crack cocaine sales that he made under Mississippi’s “three strikes rule”. Johnson was granted parole eligibility by a judge in March. Johnson, 60 years old, would be released from prison if the Parole Board approves. Johnson spent 26 years in prison. Owens stated that Johnson would like to assist his sister who is ill and help youth in the local community. Owens stated that this would “save Mississippi approximately 620,000″ which is the estimated cost of keeping Johnson in prison for the remainder of his sentence. This is very significant. It’s giving people freedom.” Claire Perlman, a ProPublica researcher, contributed to this report. Jerry Mitchell is an investigative journalist for the Mississippi Center for Investigation Reporting. This non-profit news organization seeks to hold government officials accountable and empower citizens within their communities. Email him at Jerry.Mitchell.MCIR@gmail.com and follow him on Facebook at @JerryMitchellReporter and on Twitter at @jmitchellnews.