Frazier: Burl Cain, the commissioner, came on board to correct a lot of these things, appointed by Gov. [Tate] Reeves. How is Cain responding to what DOJ is reporting at this point?
Brown: Well, last week, MDOC told me that their legal team says they can’t respond to questions about this. So, we’ll see. Now, like you said, since Cain was appointed in May 2021, MDOC has made efforts to raise correctional officer pay to keep staff on the job.
MDOC says it re-opened the Walnut Grove Correctional Facility last year to help prisoners recover from addiction and disaffiliate, or leave, their gangs. And the department has made strides to bolster reentry programs for prisoners. But how much of this is actively helping solve the issues outlined in the Department of Justice report? That’s hard to say right now.
Cain comes to Mississippi from the Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola, where he was warden for over two decades. Angola and Parchman have very similar issues. Misuse of solitary confinement, so on and so forth. But, Mississippi can also look to Alabama for some context here, too. In 2020, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the Alabama Department of Corrections after the DOJ alleged that ADOC failed to take action to resolve the issues outlined in a 2016 report about poor conditions at men’s prisons in Alabama. So, if Mississippi leaders don’t take swift action, it’s possible we could see a similar fate. In fact, on the last page of the report, the DOJ warns that it could file a lawsuit exactly 49 days after this report was published if state officials haven’t addressed these issues.
Frazier: So, what kind of solutions does DOJ want for the department to come into compliance?
Brown: The Department of Justice outlined a lot of ways that MDOC can try to solve some of these issues. Nearly 10 pages alone are dedicated to solutions. Some of those measures include changing how the prison approaches correctional officer staffing. The DOJ wants MDOC to fully screen, train and hire C-Os and offer them competitive salaries and benefits. Put a policy in place that will prevent retaliation against prisoners for reporting C-O misconduct. Implement a prisoner classification system that will protect prisoners from the risk of harm. Install more cameras to help with supervision and repair all broken security equipment. Conduct clearly documented cell inspections to remove contraband. Revise the mental health screening process to be done regularly and by trained staff. Provide timely and adequate medical care to prisoners. And there’s so much more. The report provides a very detailed list of solutions to the issues outlined, so we’ll just have to wait and see how MDOC and other state leaders respond.
Greta Martin says to fix Parchman, it’ll take collaboration from multiple people and organizations. But she’s also not really sure if the prison can be fixed at this point.
Audiotape of Greta Martin: I think it’s going to take an effort with both the medical vendor for the department of corrections to work hand in hand with the current administration of Commissioner Cain. And I think it’s going to take some support from the Mississippi legislature. It’s going to be a group effort, and I’ll be perfectly frank. I don’t know if a facility like Parchman is favorable. I truly believe Parchman is a sinking ship. I don’t know if we’re ever going to get that facility appropriately remedied for human residence.