We do not sell or share your information with anyone. If we dont believe in grace, redemption, mercy and second chances, then we need to take In God We Trust off our flag.. Parole Board members make risk assessments about prisoners . Pickett was reappointed by Governor Tate Reeves in 2020. 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. Editorial cartoons and photo essays are not included under the Creative Commons license and therefore do not have the "Republish This Story" button option. I raised over $3k to help make all these things happen. The state that saw rising numbers was Alaska (3.6%). 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. Look for the "Republish This Story" button underneath each story. As the parole rate has fallen, the state is seeing its prison population increase. Lucy and Noreen are in charge of making the decision about Coombs. Belk said there is a misunderstanding that a parole eligibility date means automatic release or sentence reduction. 47-7-31. Any amount helps us keep producing quality journalism for Mississippi. 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.. The Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting is a nonprofit news organization which relies on donations to inform, educate, and empower Mississippians. He said the board is aware that since hes become chairman, the parole grant rate has fallen. By November 2021, the parole grant rate reached a high of 93% and the board held over 1,000 parole hearings, according to numbers from the Mississippi Department of Corrections obtained by Mississippi Today. 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. In the years since, reforms and an aggressive Parole Board, headed by a veteran law enforcement officer, reduced the number of inmates to the lowest level in two decades. If someone is granted the privilege of parole and violates that parole, Belk said, there must be repercussions. I did all the procurement over the $1.4 billion expansion over the unit that basically makes the product for plastics., After Hurricane Katrina devastated Mississippis Gulf Coast in 2005, Belk said he was asked to step in as chairman of the Jackson County Civil Service Commission because there was a lot of turnover in appointed committee members because of the frustration they had in dealing with [Sheriff Mike] Byrds reluctance to following Civil Service policy & procedures.. He has never had the community support he does now. In a Monday interview with Supertalk Radio, Gene Bell said the notice of Frederick Bells release was advertised in the Clarion Ledger rather than the local paper, the Grenada Star. The earned release supervision date is the date that includes all earned time, as well as the 15% good behavior allowance. My position on the parole board provided me a different kind of opportunity to help others, by giving a second chance to those who earned it and denying it to those who remain a threat to public safety.. I trust my Parole Board appointees to make wise decisions.. 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. Pay Grade: MS04. | 2022. mississippi parole board members!!! This report was produced in partnership with the Community Foundation for Mississippis local news collaborative, which is independently funded in part by Microsoft Corp. On the form the board sent him, she said, there were no boxes checked for reasons favoring parole, such as his good prison record, community support, provisions for care, mitigating circumstances and participating in rehabilitative programs. 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. Pay Grade: MS07. Therefore, when you say he is not ready to be a law-abiding citizen, how can you know if you dont ask him what his plans are?, Her son violated probation through marijuana use, she wrote the board. This is managerial type of work responsible for a division or a team of supervisors and subordinates in a correctional facility or as part of statewide parole program involving the compilation and computation of parole information on inmates. In 2015, Belk began serving as president of the board, which tried to salvage the pension system and keep the hospital open. You have to credit Mississippi Today. He faced his biggest challenge when Byrd resigned in the wake of a state and federal investigation that led to 31 charges that included fraud, extortion, embezzlement, witness tampering, perjury and using his office to retaliate against his enemies. The Board also may hear cases for the revocation of Mississippi parole and/or Earned Release Supervision. This allows for a ten-day reduction in sentence for every month that an inmate participates in an educational or vocational institutional program. TD. Code Ann. (AP) Mississippi is paroling fewer inmates now than it did before expanding parole eligibility in 2021. Establishes methods for determining tentative dates and times for parole hearings. A Mississippi man serving life for murder will not be paroled, the Parole Board decided Wednesday, reversing a previous decision to free him after more than 30 years in prison. Addiction is treated, but its never cured.. 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. For example, a sentence of one to two years must make the inmate serve at least nine months; whereas, a sentence of thirty years requires the inmate to serve at least ten. Both White and PEER criticized the travel expenses of Parole Board member Betty Lou Jones, who received more than $20,000 in travel reimbursements. Typically requires a Bachelors Degree or a high school diploma and 4 years of work experience. Entry level professional work involving the compilation and computation of parole information on inmates. I worked for 24 years at Chevron as a project procurement manager, he said. Number of employees at Mississippi Department of Corrections, Mississippi Parole Board in year 2021 was 8. On Dec. 31, Pickett retired after serving a decade. 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. NOTE: This website is not affiliated with the United States Government or any Federal or State government agency. Some of these factors, by law, also influence when an inmate may become eligible for parole. .520 Repealed, 1979. Brair Parker Ballou/MCIR, Gov. Neither Belk nor Reeves office responded to requests for comment. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. BOARD MEMBERS Updated January Search: Having a board with diverse backgrounds allows myself and others to bring a unique prospective to the table when making tough decisions.. In 2021, a California parole board voted to free Robert F. Kennedy's assassin but the decision was overturned by the governor. Information you can trust. " Appropriately, the membership of the Task Force represents the broad spectrum of our . 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.. See Miss. The Mississippi Parole Board responds to a state legislative watchdog report that cites issues members need to correct such as working full time. In just three months, the prison population has shot past 17,100. With the exception of Jones, all have joined the board within the past year. Tate Reeves, . That additional prison population would cost taxpayers more than $127 million a year, based on the $53.72 per-day cost computed by the states legislative watchdog, the Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review, commonly known as PEER. Belk lives in Vancleave and has previously served on multiple boards in the state, including the Jackson County Civil Service Commission and the Singing River Hospital System Board of Trustees. estimated at $300K, Nutritionist explains what heart-healthy grains are, Dont let having one pair of hands keep you from, Hearty meals for happiness and health, according, Wednesday marks 9 years since Myra Lewis disappearance, Man convicted in 2019 shooting death of Jockeys Wright, Mexican president: Mexico has more democracy than. Typically requires a Bachelor's Degree or a high school diploma and 4 years of work experience. By November 2021, the parole grant rate reached a high of 93% and the board held over 1,000 parole hearings, according to numbers from the Mississippi Department of Corrections obtained by Mississippi Today. All Rights Reserved document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting. Pay Grade: MS15. As a result, about 5,700 additional people are expected to become parole eligible within the next five years, according to an estimate in the Corrections and Criminal Justice Oversight Task Forces January report. 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. Maintains records of offenders in an electronic monitoring program. In March, three out of every four inmates who appeared before the Parole Board were rejected for parole. Mississippi Parole Board Chairman Jeffrey Belk said he has no plans to change the boards approach to parole, despite the state leading the world in mass incarceration. Gov. The programs vary by correctional facility. He compared the program to a top-of-the-line rehabilitation program offered by places like the Betty Ford Center. We want them to get skills and be successful.. Mississippi parole, often called earned release supervision, is granted based on many contributing factors. The Mississippi Parole Board is an important part of the criminal justice system. The new Mississippi state flag flies under the eagle at the top of the Capitol rotunda following the ceremonial unfurling in Jackson, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. Pay Grade: MS10. Help keep the momentum going by rejoining our member community today. Most people couldnt afford it, he said. I would rather have the numbers be true and accurate and go back and look at them then just we did whatever we did to get the numbers down mentality, he said during an interview with Missisisppi Today. Typically requires a Bachelors Degree and 3-5 years of related experience. The parole board has also received letters from groups of lawmakers, the Mississippi Association of Chiefs of Police, as well as the Mississippi Sheriffs' Association urging members to reverse the decision. The Board reviews cases and develops plans, stipulations, conditions and terms for release or integration for each offender. Using our services for any unlawful purposes are strictly prohibited. The number of people coming out should increase.. But soon after, parole rates and hearings began dropping each month. We talked to BestReviews nutrition expert Molly Bremer about how to plan meals that are healthy, satisfying and a joy to eat. "It's gut-wrenching," he said. He began serving on the board November 10, 2012, after former Governor Phil Bryant appointed him and became chairman a year later. By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with Mississippi Today. 660 North St. Suite 100A. Actions, however, speak louder than words, he said. To republish online, simply click the button, copy the html code and paste into your Content Management System (CMS). 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. Pickett said a new law resulted in the influx of 4,000 newly people eligible for parole in July 2021. Jobs in this family perform professional work involving the compilation and computation of parole information on inmates. In April, five out of every six inmates were rejected. Brair Parker Ballou/MCIR. In addition to the chairman, there are four other members of the Mississippi State Parole Board: Marlow Stewart, James Cooper, Anthony Smith and Betty Lou Jones. "It's a full-time job," said Jim Cooper. All of these important dates have bearing on an inmate's petitions for parole and are kept on the inmate's time sheet. Byrd died of COVID in November 2020 on his 71st birthday. If a parolee wants to obtain parole or transfer to another state, he or she must meet some basic requirements. If an offender wishes to travel to another state without moving to it permanently, he or she must seek the permission of his or her corrections agent prior to leaving the state. 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. Ive seen folks with money get off for way more. 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