SB 2444: Expand Mississippi’s prison work initiative

Senate Bill 2444, sponsored by Sen. Juan Barnett, would expand the Central Mississippi Pilot Prison Industries program to all state, regional, and private correctional facilities in the state.  

Under this pilot program, employers near Central MS Correctional Facility (CMCF) employ prisoners who are near the end of their time in prison. The prisoners are paid a regular wage, currently averaging around $13/hour. Some of their earnings, after payroll taxes are deducted, are allocated to pay fines, fees, and restitution; some of their earnings are used to pay administrative costs of the program; and about half is put into a savings account they will have access to after their release, which will help them pay deposits for housing, buy an old car, and other expenses that will help them not return to the streets and lifestyles that led them to prison in the first place.  

The pilot program now exists only at CMCF, and it has a cap of 25 inmates allowed to participate at any given time. In almost all cases, the people who have completed the program have continued in their jobs after they are released from prison. Due to the success of the program’s participants at this one facility, SB 2444 would allow a similar program to be created at more locations around the state, where jobs exist for the inmates to obtain. 

The legislation builds on years of efforts by Mississippi policymakers to reduce recidivism – the rate of people who end up returning to prison after release. Policymakers have focused on work in part because whether or not an individual has a job is one of the best predictors of whether they will end up returning to prison. 

Maintaining gainful employment is crucial for reentry, but it’s also important while an individual is incarcerated. Meaningful work gives people a sense of legitimate dignity and purpose, which they might not have experienced before. Work opportunities are an important rehabilitative tool and should be expanded throughout the state’s prisons. 

These opportunities can ensure that people leave prison better than when they went in – helping more people re-enter the workforce, saving taxpayer dollars, and improving public safety in Mississippi. 

Empower Mississippi supports this legislation. 

SB 2444 has been approved by the Senate Corrections Committee and awaits action on the Senate floor. You can read the bill here.