Frederick Bell was convicted of capital murder for the May 1991 shooting of death 21-year-old Robert "Bert" Bell (no relation) during a store robbery in Grenada County. Establishes methods for determining tentative dates and times for parole hearings. " Appropriately, the membership of the Task Force represents the broad spectrum of our . In just three months, the prison population has shot past 17,100. He compared the program to a top-of-the-line rehabilitation program offered by places like the Betty Ford Center. Typically requires a Bachelors Degree or a high school diploma and 4 years of work experience. Using our services for any unlawful purposes are strictly prohibited. And the [victims] families were having to relive this every six months.. 585, passed in 2014 to address Mississippi's rising prison population and "to implement research-driven criminal justice policies to produce a greater public safety return on corrections spending. Parole Board Chairman Jeffrey Belk discusses the role of the board in an interview with MCIR. . Editorial cartoons and photo essays are not included under the Creative Commons license and therefore do not have the "Republish This Story" button option. 0:57. Sie knnen Ihre Einstellungen jederzeit ndern. Similar to most other Parole Boards, the Mississippi Parole Board is responsible for granting discretionary paroles to inmates convicted prior to the Truth in Sentencing law. View Website. .540 Powers of department. Mississippi Gulf Coast native Jeffery Belk appointed by Gov. 47-7-31. At the discretion of the state that participates in the Interstate Commission for Adult Offender Supervision, a parolee may be released to supervision in another state. The collaborative includes the Clarion Ledger, the Jackson Advocate, Jackson State University, Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting, Mississippi Public Broadcasting and Mississippi Today. Information you can trust. Average annual salary was $60,950 and median salary was $70,000. On Feb. 7, that population fell to 16,499, according to the Mississippi Department of Corrections. State Parole Board Chairman Jeffery Belk Mississippi Gov. He or she must be a resident of the receiving state, or must have family living within the state who is willing to assist in housing. Parole Board members make risk assessments about prisoners . You can only publish select stories individually not as a collection. The state Parole Board chairman told lawmakers Tuesday the board is more . Im going to reach out to the new chair and find out why., State Public Defender Andr de Gruy said, with the 2021 Earned Parole Act, we have a lot more people eligible. Pay Grade: MS15. Trials are tentatively set for Dec. 5. On Dec. 31, Pickett retired after serving a decade. Answers you need. Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe and USA Today. I raised over $3k to help make all these things happen. Since March, the board has paroled 29% of those considered with the number of hearings falling to 633 in July. Belk adopted the role in January, replacing Steven Pickett, who retired late last year. Phone (601) 359-1406 Fax (601) 488-2903. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. No one can hear 8,000 cases in a year and not work full time, he said. Oversees the review of inmates eligible for parole. Through your support we are able to shine light so that our democracy works as our forefathers intended. Keep this news free and accessible to all by becoming a member and giving a recurring donation of any amount today. Unfortunately, the rapidly declining parole grant rate is not only blunting the impact of the new law but also denying meaningful opportunities for release to those who were parole eligible before the new law, she said. Pickett said a new law resulted in the influx of 4,000 newly people eligible for parole in July 2021. The lack of staffing is preventing the Mississippi Department of Corrections from providing some programs that could help inmates earn parole, he said. Vocational level work involving providing technical support to parole staff in the compilation and computation of parole information on inmates. Stewart will replace Nehemiah Flowers,. "It's gut-wrenching," he said. To help attack this problem, Commissioner Cain has started an alcohol and drug program at the once-shuttered Walnut Grove Correctional Facility that houses 32 inmates in a 90-day addiction program. Instead, he said, the prison population is back on the rise, just as it was before reforms in 2014, when the erratic parole rate caused the prison population to skyrocket. Her 27-year-old son, Shelby Wilson, went to prison in 2019 after he sold his mothers prescription pills to a friend, who was working as a confidential informant. In the meantime, Cain is working to create 80 schools for inmates to gain certification in engine repair, plumbing, welding, carpentry and other fields. Any amount helps us keep producing quality journalism for Mississippi. We didnt have a lawyer.. Belk said the board has 15 to 20 parole hearings scheduled for Wednesday. Any member of the board must possess at least a bachelor's degree or a high school diploma and four years' work experience. An inmate's maximum discharge date is defined as the date in which an offender will have served the entire length of his indeterminate sentence. Her reply? The Truth in Sentencing law contributed to a prison population that nearly doubled between 1995 and 2007, forcing the State of Mississippi to seek alternatives to incarceration in as many cases as the law and concern for public safety would allow. Everybody that comes before you is no longer addicted to drugs and theyve found Jesus.. You cant edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. The Mississippi legislature is currently considering several bills aimed at reforming the state's criminal justice system, including bills expanding parole eligibility.A new report indicates that these measures could have huge financial impacts on the state's budget, saving taxpayers millions of dollars per year.. The Board works in conjunction with many other state agencies and agents, including parole officers. Singing River, a county-owned hospital system facing financial woes, stopped paying into the pension fund from 2009 to 2014 without telling employees and retirees. In an Aug. 17 interview with Supertalk Radio, MDOC Commissioner Burl Cain said he asked the parole board not to approve parole for gang members to protect public safety and to send a message that gang membership in prison wont help. The incumbent reviews pertinent inmate information and prepares synopsis for the Parole Board so eligible inmates can be considered for parole in a timely manner. Now the board is rejecting far more requests. . News, Mississippi News, Domestic Violence, domestic violence, abuse, murder suicide, domestic homicide, murdered children, fathers kill children, Greyson's law, revenge, control, Welfare, fraud, medicaid, poor Mississippians, embezzlement, Gov Bryant, welfare funds. The work includes reviewing and collecting files and data, participating in classification decisions, providing information on inmates to authorized persons, and completing Risk Matrix information on inmates. BOARD MEMBERS Updated January Search: Mississippi Authority for Educational Television d/b/a Mississippi Public Broadcasting - All Rights Reserved. Code Section 47-7-5 (2) Highest salary at Mississippi Department of Corrections, Mississippi Parole Board in year 2021 was $81,785. Cliff Johnson, director of the MacArthur Justice Center at the University of Mississippi School of Law, said the Department of Justice documented the low staffing levels inside the State Penitentiary at Parchman, which is suffering from grisly violence, gang control and other woes that the department says are violating inmates constitutional rights. A retirement reception is planned for Pickett at the boards office on North Street, Suite 100A,in Jackson from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. December 29. Judkins, of FWD.us, said less opportunities for parole and a growing prison population dont just hurt people who are incarcerated. The Board of Parole consists of 14 members. Typically requires a High School Diploma and 0-4 years of related experience. FWD.us, a criminal justice and immigration reform group, supported SB 2795. Offenders who committed crimes prior to July 1, 1995 are generally eligible for Mississippi parole after serving 25% of their sentences. PEER quoted a state attorney generals opinion, which said expenses associated with an individual commuting to a workstation should not be borne by the governmental entity., Pickett said the accusations against Jones were unfair and untrue, because Jones was commuting from her home in Meridian to the office in Jackson. "It's a full-time job," said Jim Cooper. Those situations also dont improve public safety and can cost taxpayers more. Mississippi Corrections Commissioner Burl Cain talks to inmates following the first graduation on April 1, 2022, of the new comprehensive Betty Ford-type alcohol and drug treatment program at the Walnut Grove Correctional Facility in Leake County. See Miss. Parole is a common earned release opportunity offered in state prison systems across the United States, including Mississippi. It is also a way to address Mississippis long prison sentences. An affirmative vote of at least four (4) members of the Parole Board shall be required to grant parole to an inmate convicted of capital murder or a sex crime. And with that scrutiny there tends to be less paroling., He greets those who come before the board with a certain amount of skepticism, he said. Daten ber Ihr Gert und Ihre Internetverbindung, wie Ihre IP-Adresse, Browsing- und Suchaktivitten bei der Nutzung von Yahoo Websites und -Apps. 1:16 JACKSON, Miss. Mississippi parole, often called earned release supervision, is granted based on many contributing factors. Mississippi Gov. Stewart will replace Nehemiah Flowers, who recently announced his retirement effective October 31, 2021. Founded in 2016 as the states first nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom, Mississippi Todays roots in Capitol coverage have grown to encompass a myriad of beats beyond politics and policy, including education, public health, justice, environment, equity, and, yes, sports. By doing this, he said, well reduce recidivism, and well reduce violence. A similar program at the Louisiana State Penitentiary saw the recidivism rate drop to less than 10%. Show your support>>. In response, Belk reiterated that the Parole Board has shifted from a numbers-driven perspective and takes time to make tough decisions about parole, including for those who are gang members. In response to the boards actions, Bert Bells family members, Grenada community members, state lawmakers and law enforcement groups around the state signed a petition and wrote letters to the Parole Board and Gov. Brair Parker Ballou/MCIR. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. We believe that an informed Mississippi is a better Mississippi. Some have had to sleep on couches.Now, she said, only five of the 17 beds in the main halfway house are filled, and I am heartbroken as I believe there are so many more women who could benefit from our services that are not able to get out., Corrections Commissioner Burl Cain has expressed his full support for the Parole Board, despite the rising prison population, telling MCIR, We dont want gangsters getting out.. We do not sell or share your information with anyone. He had originally received a death sentence, but several court rulings in the past decade paved the way for him to be resentenced and become eligible for parole. Belk said the board does look at the prison population numbers, but we do not let the numbers drive our decisions., On Dec. 30, Belk received a call from Gov. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. The work includes reviewing and collecting files and data, participating in classification decisions, providing information on inmates to authorized persons, and completing Risk Matrix information on inmates. (AP) Mississippi is paroling fewer inmates now than it did before expanding parole eligibility in 2021. Mina, a California native, covers the criminal justice system. Nine out of 10 cases before the Parole Board are nonviolent and have no registered victim, he said. Frederick Bell had been set to be released at the end of September. by Mina Corpuz, Mississippi Today September 19, 2022, This and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
. Facebook. That caused some of the delays, he said. Nov. 29JACKSON Under questioning from lawmakers on Tuesday, the head of the state parole board said greater scrutiny of inmates' prison records has led to a decline in the parole rate.. Belk said Reeves was referring to the December 2020 report by State Auditor Shad White and the July 2021 report by PEER on the Parole Board. Similarly, many inmates being considered for Mississippi parole work at a prison-sanctioned job to gain skills and develop work ethic that will benefit them on release. This story was produced by the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting, a nonprofit news organization that is exposing wrongdoing, educating and empowering Mississippians, and raising up the next generation of investigative reporters. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Life sentences after 1995 and all sex crimes are not eligible for parole." Mississippi Gov. 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