New program puts money in pockets of Mississippi’s non-violent offenders, aims to reduce recidivism

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – The Mississippi Division of Corrections is permitting some inmates to work jobs outdoors of jail.

It’s a part of a brand new program that goals to raised put together non-violent offenders for his or her launch and maintain them from going again behind bars.

This system is being run out of a brand new facility in Pearl.

“I really feel excited,” Russell Fitzhugh mentioned. “I really feel relieved that once I do go, I’ve a job to go to and cash in my pocket to go along with.”

Fitzhugh is the primary graduate of the reentry parole program. Two years of his life have been spent behind bars, and one other eight on probation.

Tuesday, he’ll be a free man and doing normal labor within the place that he calls dwelling.

“I’ll be working for the Metropolis of Brandon,” Fitzhugh mentioned.

The Mississippi Division of Corrections mentioned it’s the primary time that people who find themselves incarcerated might be allowed to go to work every day.

“Now we have to get out of the behavior of looking for jobs after they’ve been launched. We’ve received to search out jobs whereas they’re incarcerated,” Bradley Lum, MDOC’s deputy commissioner of workforce improvement, mentioned. “We’ve received to do our job to search out them jobs in order that earlier than they get launched into the world, we’re placing them on a path to sustainability.”

Commissioner Burl Cain mentioned the brand new program wouldn’t have been made attainable with out Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey.

Not solely did Bailey primarily donate the ability to MDOC, however he additionally piloted this system at his county jail per the legislature’s request.

“Now we have every kind of counseling and coaching and various things, however one want an incarcerated individual has is to have some cash of their pocket once they’re launched,” Bailey mentioned. “You simply can’t perform in our society with no little little bit of getting began cash.”

Bailey mentioned the final lady to go away his pilot program left with about $10,000 in her financial savings account.

MDOC is allowed to have 25 inmates in this system at anybody time and plans to develop that quantity throughout the state relying on this 12 months’s success.

In keeping with a press launch, work launch individuals are in a position to put on “free world” garments to their place of employment. Moreover, their wage is distributed as follows:

• 25% might be to repay excellent fines and charges
• 50% might be positioned right into a financial savings account
• 15% will go on a pay as you go debit card for them to order for private objects
• 10% might be used for administration charges

“If there’s one factor that we all know, it’s that rehabilitation works and that individuals want labor. They want individuals in jobs,” Lum mentioned. “If you match these two issues collectively, we’re an ideal match for that.”

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