The Legislature must prioritize habitual sentencing and parole reform

It is the beginning of a new year. A year many of us were excited to start after enduring months of uncertainty and chaos in 2020. But for many Mississippians, this new year won’t bring about a renewed sense of hope unless our legislators pass commonsense criminal justice reforms that would give thousands of people the opportunity to reunite with their families and communities. For many Mississippians behind prison walls and those that love them, this is a new year, riddled with the same flaws. 

For decades, Mississippi’s prison system has been in a crisis that is fueled by harsh and extreme sentencing laws that leave people locked up for decades without meaningful opportunities for early release. The corruption, violence, and horrific living conditions that plague our prison system have been the basis for many many civil rights lawsuits filed against the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) over the years.  

The first step to addressing this crisis is passing meaningful policy changes that address our dangerously high prison population. We know that long sentences do not make us safer and it is time to invest in policies that will truly support public safety and thriving communities. In 2020, our prison crisis hit a breaking point. The year began with a chain of preventable events and chaos at  Parchman prison on December 29, 2019 that led to a year of a record number of deaths with more than 100 people dying behind bars. 

In February 2020, President Trump’s Department of Justice launched an investigation into four of the state’s prisons to look into the high number of tragic deaths, violence and awful living conditions. The investigation was paused as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, but it is safe to assume that the incoming Biden administration will be taking a closer look into what’s happening in Mississippi. We only have to look as far as neighboring Alabama to see what lies ahead if nothing is done to address our prison crisis. The Department of Justice conducted a similar investigation into Alabama’s prison system. That investigation led to a lawsuit that could cost Alabama one billion dollars to address these problems. Mississippi is following the same path as Alabama, but it is not too late to take action and avoid making Mississippi taxpayers foot a billion dollar bill to fix this crisis.

Mississippi’s prisons have been far from immune from the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 1,400 people have contracted COVID-19 in Mississippi prisons. There have been outbreaks at five different facilities across the state.  Sadly, we knew from the beginning of the pandemic that people in prisons are at far greater risk of contracting this lethal virus because they can’t practice social distancing or take other preventative measures. In addition, poor healthcare in Mississippi prisons places those infected at  higher risk of death. To top it all off, in 2020 Mississippi surpassed Oklahoma to become the state with the second highest imprisonment rate in the nation and we’re on track to become number one as Louisiana, the nation’s top incarcerator, has passed reforms that will help reduce their high prison population.

Despite the grim circumstances of 2020, there was hope for reform. Last year, the state legislature worked very hard to advance two long-overdue bills that would restore hope to thousands of Mississippi families while also saving taxpayers money, but neither made it across the finish line. Mississippi’s extreme sentencing laws are only fueling our prison crisis by keeping our loved ones locked up for far too long. Those bills would have expanded parole eligibility and reformed harsh habitual sentencing laws helping thousands of incarcerated Mississippians. 

This year, we must hang onto the hope that there is an appetite for change and that Mississippi has the opportunity to see  meaningful criminal justice reform. And, this year, lawmakers must enact parole and habitual sentencing reform. 

We are very glad to see that lawmakers have already introduced bills to reform Mississippi’s restrictive parole laws, bringing Mississippi in line with many other states. Expanding parole gives the Governor-appointed parole board the chance to consider more people for release.  While it does not guarantee release to anyone, expanding the opportunities for parole gives the men and women behind prison walls hope, makes prisons safer, and helps people prepare to return home. Lawmakers should prioritize parole reform this year.