Magee now has options when it comes to the use of the vacated former state Correctional Work Center.
One possibility is to allow MORE--Mississippi Offenders Re Entry program--to rent the facility from the city and then offer it as a residence for parolees so they can get back on their feet.
Pastor Gene Henderson of Pine Lake Church in Brandon, one of the proponents of the program, said that before parolees can be released from prison after they have been granted parole, they must have a place to live.
Henderson stated that those who end up in the prison system often lose their former residences and family connections and are unable to take advantage of parole when it is granted because they have no guaranteed place to reside after release.
The Department of Corrections recently notified the city that the work center in Magee would be closed and the inmate population would be sent elsewhere in the system. This happened around the state as the DOC tightened their belts and became more fiscally responsible.
The downside of the closure for Magee and Simpson County was that it dried up what had been a free source of inmate labor.
According to Magee Mayor Dale Berry, the issue arose with Governor Bryant, most likely, he said, after Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson of Braxton brought the issue to light with the Governor. But the comment was made that something needed to be done to help Magee.
So the opportunity to launch this program came about and started the dialogue between Henderson and the City. The topic was discussed at a first meeting in June and the decision was made to ask Henderson to come to the city and present the project.
In an interview, Henderson said that there are five critical issues in establishing a program such as he plans to present on housing prison parolees.
Housing is the number one priority, he said, because parole can’t be granted unless the person has a guaranteed residence.
The next critical issue facing the parolee is employment. With the MORE program those jobs will exist with a job service called Background Checks.
Parolees are also faced with their own personal challenges. In MORE, they are given instruction as well as training on how to improve their life situations.
Mentoring is also a critical component to the success of the program, according to Henderson. Traditionally the mentoring available within the penal system ends when the inmate leaves prison, but through the MORE program mentoring will continue into the new environment.
The last of the five issues Henderson noted is that the residents must demonstrate they can live as good citizens of a community, and this is where they start rebuilding family relationships that were destroyed by incarceration.
The MORE program is in its infant stages, but Magee was selected as one of two sites being considered. The other is the Oakley Training Center in Hinds County.
The program is modeled after a similar program in Texas, TORI, which stands for Texas Offender Re-entry Initiative program. According to Henderson, TORI has been in operation for 11 years and the recidivism rate is 11 percent. That is a low rate of re-offenders, but it is based in part on having a good support program.
The city board, while not committing to support the project, did agree to allow Henderson to explore the possibility of utilizing the Magee facility.
Henderson told the board that between 300 and 700 parolees become available for early release each month. He said many of those are not allowed release because they have no residence to transition to. In January Henderson said that Steve Pickett, head of the state’s Parole Board, challenged him to provide a solution to this problem.
They formed a five person board, three of whom are members of Pine Lake Church. They were able to secure grants as well as private donations to start the MORE program. Henderson said it is their goal to be operational in Magee by September or October.
His said his intention is to hire an architecture firm from Natchez to do a study of what the cost would be to convert the work center into living facilities. Initial plans are to build up to 10 bedrooms and two efficiency apartments in the facility. The initial goal is to house 10 to 15 residents and eventually up to 20.
Henderson said the group is working to get a 501-C-3 designation. Another member of his board owns a business called Labor Checks, which is responsible for securing jobs and transportation for the residents. Labor Checks pays the residents for the work they perform, deducting expenses like room and board.
As it stands now Henderson and his group are looking at the Magee facility. From the city’s perspective no decisions have been made other than to allow additional discussion.
MORE does not address the issue of having labor to perform services in the community but it would provide some jobs and a source of income for the city through rental of the facility.
