Charles L. Young

An inquisitive audience attended Thursday night’s Legislative Community Awareness Forum hosted by Rep. Charles Young (D-Meridian) at the East Mississippi Electric Power Association Auditorium.

Among the topics discussed were corrections, education and law enforcement and weapons. A number of legislators, educators and law enforcement personnel were on hand to present an overview of their specialty and answer questions. Meridian Mayor Percy Bland also attended the informational meeting.

“The No. 1 reason why my phone rings has to do with corrections,” said Young, who represents District 82.

Office of Constituent Services with the Mississippi Department of Corrections Kevin Jackson said there are 19,474 inmates serving time at various state prisons. He said 30,000 are parolees or on probation. Also, 47 inmates are on death row and 2,000 inmates are serving life sentences.

“Those 17,000 will be coming back out so we’re trying to rehabilitate those,” Jackson said.

The MDOC, which has a budget of $361 million, operates three state prisons and four private institutions.

“We’re closing facilities across the state. My passion is bringing more awareness to mental health,” said Jackson, who previously served as a prison warden and corrections officer.”

Jackson was asked what the MDOC does to prepare those inmates about to transition from prison to the free world.

“We have 148 vo-tech programs for offenders. We can lead a horse to water but can’t make him drink,” Jackson said. We are striving to provide whatever the offender needs. We have a pre-release program in which from 19-21 months before release, the offender undergoes an alcohol and drug program. They are given a re-entry booklet. We contact the nearest employment agency in their area to try and get them work. We don’t have as many teachers as we’d like. Most of the offenders are released on supervision.”

Jackson was asked about housing once the offender is released. He said there are two halfway houses in Jackson, and one each in McComb and Ocean Springs.

Jackson said the national recidivism average is 42.9 percent, compared to 31.3 percent for Mississippi.

On the education side, speakers from the high school level to four-year institutions addressed the gathering.

Representing Meridian Public School District Superintendent Dr. Amy Carter, Ross Collins Career & Technical Center Director Rob Smith lauded the center’s accomplishments. It is a career and technical education center on the high school campus. The center prepares students for jobs from entry-level to the most advanced.

“Meridian Public School is on the cutting edge in many areas. We’re trying to change the stigma of vocational education,” Smith said. “We want to prepare everyone. We have a great partnership with Meridian Community College. My passion is technical education.”

On the community college level, MCC Community Workforce officials Dr. Richard McAlister Sr. and Joseph Knight talked about their programs. McAlister heads up the credits program, while Knight oversees non-credit programs.

McAlister said there are 51 credit programs in five divisions, which include nursing, emergency management, health education, industrial technology and business.

“The No. 1 issue in Meridian for why students don’t get a job is work ethic,” McAlister said.

Mississippi Community College Board representative and Assistant Executive Director for Workforce Development Dexter Holloway said it is his job to provide training opportunities so students can return to school and develop a skill.

“We now have Adult Basic Education that allows adults to also work on their high school equivalency,: Holloway said. “The basic things is to help those who dropped out of high school.”

Institutions of Higher Learning representative C.D. Smith said students must seek out financial assistance wherever they can. THe IHL oversees eight universities and the Medical Center in Jackson.

“There are opportunities at at each university for students to get the resources they need,” Smith said. “Student loans are available as well as work study. College tuition is continuing to rise. In Mississippi tuition is still the lowest cost within the region,” Smith said.

Rep. Jay Hughes (D-Oxford), who represents District 12, mentioned charter schools in his comments.

“Every single issue we heard here tonight has a single common denominator: education. It all starts with public education,” Hughes said. “Whether we are talking about incarceration, unemployment, mental health communities or economic development, it all starts with education – public education. Ninety percent of those who don’t graduate high school in Mississippi end up being on welfare or incarcerated by the time they are 30. It is far cheaper and better for our communities to spend proper;y and and educate a child for 13 years, than it is to pay for incarceration or welfare for 40 years.”

Hughes sits on the Medicaid, Judiciary A and state library committees.

Legislators who also spoke on the subject included District 82 Rep. Orlando Peden (D-Clarksdale), District 75 Rep. Tom Miles (D-Pelahatchie), and District 41 Rep. Kabir Karriem (D-Lowndes County).

Meridian Police Department Chief Benny Dubose and Lauderdale County Sheriff Billy Sollie were local speakers.

Dubose said local youth need direction from adults.

“There are more opportunities for young people out there, but they’re not taking taking advantage of it,” Dubose said. “They’ve been told they’re bad. They’ve been told they’re no good. They’ve been told they’re lazy. They’ve been told they’ll end up in jail or dead before they are 30 years old.

“There is nothing law enforcement can fix, but it will take a change of attitude within the community,” Dubose added. “The kids are not being shown about opportunities that are out there. They believe what they’re hearing. The community is going to have to step up and take a role. These young people have unique minds; we just got to inspire them.”

Sollie repeated earlier assertions of how he thought the justice system needed to be fixed. He shared the story of a detention facility inmate telling a jailer how he had spent five birthdays in jail.

“Because it takes so long for the offender to be punished, he doesn’t associate his punishment with the crime,” Sollie said. “There are just not enough of assistant district attorneys, judges and courtrooms.”

Sollie said his Crisis Intervention Team focuses on trying to help people dealing with mental health issues.

“We are one of the first agencies trying to do something other than locking people up,” Sollie said.

 

 

 

 

 

“That is our biggest hurdle right now. We’re reaching out to as many churches as we can who don’t mind providing residence,” Jackson said.

Young added that not all crimes by felons are punishable by losing voting privileges like so many citizens believe. Young read off a long list of such crimes.

“Felons can vote for President even though they are incarcerated,” Jackson said. Felons in jail can register to vote.”

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