Jackson Jambalaya

KF, please contact Cliff Johnson at Ole Miss and Jerry Mitchell. Your blog is great and has a big impact - obviously, since the inmate mailed it to you, but this is even bigger than you. Please provide this letter immediately to people who can really make this big.

No surprise to me. If you lash out at the crooked and rotten agency heads. Your head will roll. Literally in this case with much sadness. Speaking of the deplorable conditions will only make it worse. The days of Fisher he would order the same punishment. He dared any one to place him at fault and call him out for anything. You will live to regret it. When Hall assumes the reigns. The same applied to her also! Her COs were doing her dirt work! No one calls out here of Fish!!!!!

Mississippi's Shawshank.

"Mississippi's Shawshank"

Emphasis on shank, apparently.

Gov-Elect "Pay to Play" Reeves will solve this problem by blaming it on Schumer, Pelosi, AOC, and other liberals who don't want "In God We Trust" on our car tags, which are made by prisoners.

Careful KF. Wouldn't take much for the new AG's Cyber Crime Task Force to gin up some reason to raid you, smear you, and silence you.

The only truth the peanut gallery would know is what WJTV reports along with your mugshot.

Prison failure = Phil's legacy

If the damn liberals wouldn't have taken the Bible out of our schools we wouldn't have to be trying to get so many folks to read it in prison.

It is hard to imagine that the well trained and highly paid individuals working for MDOC could ever be a part of something like this.

Rehabilitation and job training and basic education within the state's system of detention used to enter the conversation.

I am not pro inmate at all, however security for all must be restored! My solution, we have 82 counties. Send 20 non- violent prisoners with less than a year back to each county ( sheriff can choose inmates coming back to said counties). This totals 1640 inmates. MDOC pays cost and transportation to counties. Counties can also pick up said inmates!
Now, we can adjust the personnel at MDOC facilities and focus on repairs and security. It’s doesn’t take a week to get this done if we get off our asses and make things happen.
Stop sitting around having group sessions and drinking coffee. This does nothing but make Administrators look incompetent and stupid.

This does not include Hinds County

Happily retired, in Collins Ms.

@1:13, no its the bleeding hearts liberal Dim-O-Krats fault like Ron Welch.

They're the ones who didn't want the poor inmates working from daylight to dark. Keep their asses worked to a nub and they wouldn't have time for fun and games.

Sherriff Joe had the right idea. Hey its a prison with mostly lazy stupid democrats locked up, with more to come. Like Jackson's body count, doesn't bother me.

My bet is that all the "blamers" couldn't run a fuk'n daycare center.
85% of the ones locked up are little more than savages and have nothing to lose.

1:55PM
Right on. Return to the chain gangs and field work. MDOC could partner with MDOT and we could get some infrastructure work accomplished. Visions of Oh Brother Where Art Thou? remind of a time when going to the Parchman Farm meant you learned some work songs swinging a pick axe in sync.

But just like how that movie would never get made in 2020, a chain gang might remind the snowflakes too much of Jim Crow.

Believe or not,most of the folks in prison have no political party affiliation.

I’m not a snowflake and prison should not be a summer camp but it also should not be a place where you life is in constantly in danger from other inmates and the CO’s. Is there still a classification system where inmates are grouped by the nature of the crime they committed?

What we've got here is failure to communicate.

I think the murder was caused by VooDoo if you ask me.

So let's connect the dots....state prisons have been allowed to reach an untenable condition over the years under this administration and now, as ex gov is going out of office at the last minute a lucrative private prison contractor has been given a contract at multiples of what is the allowed daily rate? If it walks like a duck and smells like a rat.......it is. I sure hope the fed is watching cause looks like all the state watchdogs are asleep on the porch.

I worked in Parchman from time to time 20 odd years ago....you can believe all the inmate wrote, much worse happens all the time. I'd trust an inmate over a guard any day. Until the justice department steps in and starts prosecuting guards and staff, the ole same ole will continue.

This is only going to get worse, far worse. Why? Because Mississippi's educational system is shit....there is zero actual "education" going on, and without proper education (which includes respect for authority and self-discipline) the MDE and IHL will continue to churn out...as 1:58 so eloquently put it - "savages with nothing to lose".

Prisons aren't meant to be social gatherings where these testosterone fueled lads are penned up all day, every day. Get them out of the building and put their butts to work; I hear there are some repairs needed on the current buildings and maybe some new facilities that need to be built. Plus they would learn some trade skills in the process.

What's with all the silly-assed redactions by Kingfish? As if everybody has no knowledge of the chain of command mentioned in the 'alleged' letter.

As Sheriff Andy Taylor once said to Deputy Barney Fife: “There’s only one word that describes this situation...BIG” !!-

@4:55- You are SPOT ON with respect for authority and proper discipline. NO AMOUNT OF MONEY will solve the education woes of the low performing districts. The large majority of these parents have ZERO respect for the education system. It’s so much easier to blame teachers and money woes for their failing performance than to actually spend time reading with their children and encouraging good performance and behavior. My daughter teaches second grade and has had countless parents who can’t even comprehend their child’s assignments. The children of these same parents typically exhibit the worst behavior. The PARENTS are cultivating this chaos... NOT the school!

It’s shocking to me so many are demanding education for prisoners. Why aren’t these same people demanding good performance during their formidable school years? (I already know the answer... it doesn’t fit their political agenda to constantly bitch for more money at every turn!!)

The truth is that there has to be a willingness to learn before any amount of resources will prove fruitful.

There is a cultural problem among the top brass of the state’s Republican Party. Nothing will get fixed until their culture is addressed. Once they are able to feel empathy instead of just holding out their hands for bribes, some of this state’s 3rd world problems will get fixed.

It's a shithole prison with no where to live nearby other than shithole towns. So who would want to work there no matter what they get paid.

Give the ones that behave conjugal visitation rights. THAT should change their behavior.

I'm guessing most of the staff has been working lots of extra shifts...maybe they are the ones needing conjugal visits!

2:15, "Democrat" has become a code word for "black," among those who don't want outsiders to know their true meaning. It took me a minute to figure that out, as I am white and vote Democrat more often than not.

I agree with 4:55 that quality education (teaching people to read and write, preferably when they are young) is a critical part of any solution to a crime problem.

Me thinks JJ sent that letter to himself.

And it does go back to the educational system. If you have no way to train or prepare anyone to get out in the world then they have to resort to other means to survive. Learning geometry and history is not a high priority right now. We need schools to hunker down and begin to think outside the box and find a way to teach skills that can bring people out of poverty. You teach a man to fish and he will feed himself. What do we have to lose? What we have now is not working. I bet 10 to 1 that a lot of the inmates would, if given the chance, work to improve their prisons if it came down to a work/training/time served/ type deal. Not all convicts are bad for the rest of their lives. I’ve worked some that were truly changed after they came out and became great employees. We all make mistakes. If a person commits a non violent crime they shouldn’t be housed with violent criminals. It’s not right. The thought process is different. I’ve worked some men who wouldn’t physically harm anyone and they shouldn’t have been locked up with hard criminals. This needs some thought by our politicians.

Phil Phailed.

Colleges and Prisons in Mississippi is where all the money gets made.

3:24 you are exactly right. Prison should be hard on prisoners but not unsafe. Get rid of television and other luxuries if you have to but pay the guards enough to get professionals in there.

When the state fails to act to protect the inmates who are under their control then the state is responsible for the outcome.

When I say democrat, I mean liberals, democratic voters, perhaps socialists. Last time I looked, African Americans could vote any way they wanted. I’ve heard the term used, but the people I know refer to a political party when they say democrat. My son recently reminded me not to assume all affluent, suburban, southern, white people are republicans. While there are certain statistical probabilities, in both cases, it’s wise to never assume someone’s political leanings, regardless of race.

Just one person's observation, but I read the letter and as I did, I thought about the (lack of) education displayed by the inmate I assumed as the author. I wondered if the apparent lack of basic literacy, if it had been addressed at an early age, would have made the difference between the author being sent to Parchment and being a productive (or at least somewhat law-abiding) member of society and the community. I was surprised to reach the end and discover that the letter purports to come from staff rather than an inmate. I admit that when reading it, I took it at face value that it was legit and of course, I assumed it was from an inmate until the closing.

It is not presented as verified either as to content or authorship, but if it is from staff then more money to the MDOC, no matter the amount, obviously cannot fix the situation that the letter's legitimacy (as to authorship rather than content) would present.

“If you want to see the dregs of society, go down to the jail and watch the changing of the guard.”
Mark Twain

Good post 8:05pm.....The new administration is going to learn how to tap dance soon enough when the Feds start seriously poking around multiple agencies in Mississippi. The graft/corruption/malfeasance is rampant on so many levels it's almost like it's still 1960 before the Civil Rights Act was passed. Mississippians are so full of self-loathing their hatred is all consuming - of themselves, others, and their useless leadership that perpetuates Jim Crow to this very day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvy5tDkETfQ

Mississippi has NEVER even attempted reconstruction or moved to reconcile with the Union as it should have, and hundreds of thousands continue to suffer. "You in Mississippi now boy" should be its state motto.

As I listened to the gents on Gallo day before yesterday (one was Jerry Mitchell and the other, whose name I forget, represented some of gang identification program), this occurred to me: Parchman needs to be razed. It's not only the size of it and the pay structure, but the remoteness. You can pay 'correctional officers' $50 thousand a year and who will move to Drew, Ruleville or Tutwiler with their family?

I was frankly shocked to hear the man say that many of these 'guards' are gang members and are groomed by Chicago gangs to apply for these jobs so they can provide contraband and privilege to the 'Guests' who are housed there.

The answer is raise pay by at least a third (if not half), establish twelve to fifteen regional prisons scattered about the state, well built and managed with a requirement for 'guest' rotation every four months. That's just the first step. Then worry about programs, rehab, etc.

The Jerry Mitchells and Ron Welches of this state would have us unionize these 'guests' and give them bargaining rights.

At the end of the day, crooked guards are getting the contraband in. MDOC is not prosecuting them for it they just put them on the Wall of Shame. So investigate that.

12:55.. our tags come from a Canadian company, no longer made by prisoners. Yes, tags are imported.

Speaking of Andy Griffith and Barney, remember Rule No. 1...

Is to OBEY all rules!

Prisoners have a constitutional right to a safe environment. Not cushy, but safe. The lawsuits are coming. The state will lose. Again.

Posters who blather about putting inmates to work on chain gangs are overlooking the cost of doing so. It costs MONEY to provide security, transportation, food, equipment, and medical care for those who are injured. The prison in Raymond allows prisoners to volunteer to work in the fields and greenhouses, and I'm told that it is a coveted assignment among them. The prison runs a vegetable market on HW 18 to sell its produce, staffed by a deputy and trustees. I stop there often during the growing season to buy fresh vegetables and they sell fresh tomatoes long after the field season ends because they are grown in greenhouses.

Go after all admin in DOC. They all play a role. They have sent many good men home to hire females with gang affiliation. That’s the Fisher way. He admires gangs. Believe it or not. Other state agencies have them also! Called a second chance. Fact! Time will tell! What about a deputy comm Williams. He needs to hit it also! Where is he!? Fisher hall Phil williams needs to go! Tate you have a daunting task ahead of you. Fisher was put here to destroy and shame the state.

MDOC correctional officers are the ones who've been fired from every fast food restaurant in their immediate location or they're looking for a job where they can sit on their fat lazy butts all day and do nothing but eat.

Ever see shift change at a correctional facility?

Looks like they're getting ready to film another Oprah Weight Watchers commercial!

That’s because Fisher and Hall wanted those type. Ones that could be Manipulated, Corrupted, and ones they could place in fear! Would not have a man there with a backbone. That would stand his ground. One that could not be manipulated. One with integrity. One without gang affiliation. One that would not allow cell phones and other contraband to entire the facility. This CO stand up and voice his opinion he is out the door. Move in one they can control. It’s not many. They are 1000 understaffed. 73% female. This is designed. Not by accident. If so we would be reading about 50 other state penitentiaries the same. This is MS redneck corrupt evil Marshal Fisher politics. Go thank him.

I get so tired of hearing people talk about the deplorable conditions these poor inmates have to live in......well its mostly because the inmates created these conditions.
They tear up pillows and bedding stop up toilets with then whine about having to walk around in sewage. You could build a correctional facility from 100% concrete and within a year it'd look like it was a hundred yrs old.
What don't all the naysayers realize that the majority of these "inmates" are little more than animals with no respect for anyone or anything including themselves. Its a badge of honor to come home to the "hood" with your "prison" tattoos or brag, yea me and my dad and two brothers were in Camp 29 at the same time.
If you're so worried about the conditions, why don't you volunteer to go up and help refurbish the living areas.

I keep hearing education is the cause of most crimes. Unless I am mistaken all children have a chance to get an education. It is left up to them and their parents. The schools will teach any kid who comes in the door. All are taught the same things. Some take advantage of the chance for an education. Some have parents who make sure their child gets an education.

If we are looking for the cause of crimes we need to look at a few more things. What stopped the criminals from getting an education? Who made the decision not to get an education? Everyone had their chance for an education. We cannot continue to blame criminal acts on lack of education.

9:43 Maybe you should hall your bad ass up to the prison and guard prisoners for 23K per year. Then, we can judge how well you did.

to the goofball at 1:55pm......................the mississippi department of corrections has operated under a federal court order handed down by a federal judge for the better part of 30 years. mr ron welch was appointed by the federal judge in the matter to monitor the states compliance with that federal court order. if you dont like the way MDOC is run take your wise ass comments to the federal judge that runs the show.

10:17: It isn't about assigning blame, if what we really want are solutions. Going back at least 25 years, studies have proven a very strong link between functional illiteracy and prison populations.

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED496564.pdf

It's tempting to take the view that these people made the decision, as children, to not learn how to read and write, as this allows us to feel comfortably smug and self-satisfied. I believe this kind of social Darwinism offers no solution, no hope, and is actually dangerous.

Just one more failure by the Phil Bryant administration.

@11:18
You really think the damn federal government rules over MDOC. you have got to be shitten me! Come on. If so who has blown smoke up there asses for so long that they believe it’s wine and roses. You think that the Ms government and political appointees have absolutely nothing to do with this! The feds didn’t come in and hand out metal for shanks and cell phones and keys to the damn doors. The feds can be told whatever they need to be told to turn a blind eye to corruption. Why would the DOJ be asked to get involved. News to them. The state purposely cut funding there and many other entities of state gov. No damn wonder the rainy day fund is at its max. 30 years ago you could eat off the floor of a Ms prison. It’s a lack of confidence in leadership and Boots on the ground behind the wire. These are damn animals. Their biggest concern was taking CONVICT off their back because it was offensive. Get me a break! And oh yeah. By the way. I’m a former residence of one of these institutions. Inmates can sense weakness! There was a day you were afraid to whisper! Your Comm can be thanked for hire the bottom of the barrel so they could manipulate them.

January 14, 2020 at 1:26 PM
You got that right. I voted for Phil twice. He and his administration were dissaponting on many levels.

I’m no fan of Phil B., but how is it HIS fault that gangs are ruining communities both inside and outside of prisons? You people think more money will actually resolve these issues? Just stop... you sound naive and ignorant. You are just making excuses.

The entire culture of gangs and prosperity via the street/thug life needs to be SQUASHED! Only then can these communities focus on building families and educating their young people.

Well 11:01 since I sent several of them up there, I figure I've met your bad-ass statement.

Never considered myself a bad-ass, just someone willing to do what people like you would be afraid to do.....you know getting your hands dirty.

Oh well, someone has to be stupid enough to live in Jackson and think they're in an utopia. Everything wrong with Jackson, MDOC and correctional facilities fall back on Dim-O-krats, you and all your little touchy-feely friends so suck it up and remember California wants you.

PS: Hope this is more to your liking KF.

4:0:4 you’re on track, however the powers to be don’t want it squashed!

I read the first paragraph and quit. Sorry, but based on years of dealing with inmates - none of whom ever did anything wrong and we're incarcerated only because they got screwed by the syste. (I.e. got caught) - read this as not much more than an inmate not liking his current living conditions. BTW, few of them do. Time on their hands and wanting to bitch. Life is not fair - so and do did such an such and it was never reported or recorded. Says who? How does this inmate know what 'The Man' did or didnot do?

Truth is, the inmate doesn't know, and a claim that some officer did something wrong is too flimsy to stand a test of veracoty.

Thanks KF. You haven't done a damp thing raise the IQ level of you readers.

558, are you referring to MDOC powers? You may be right. Why else would the GOV name a computer manager to interim commissioner of DOC?
Is this a joke?

Actually, 11:18, Parchman Farm was under federal oversight much longer than 30 years. Federal Judge Keady in Greenville, long dead, dictated sweeping changes roughly 50 years ago. That's when Ron Welch became a rock star. And Welch must be approaching 75 now, himself. No more forced labor, no more working the fields or roadways, air conditioning and television with access to the library and flush commodes and no armed trustees on horseback.

The oversight has expired but can be cranked back up if Bennie has his way. Then we can exchange state corruption for federal corruption. The thought of a $1000 cell phone has a nice ring to it (pun intended), whether you're a state or federal employee.

"The oversight has expired but can be cranked back up if Bennie has his way."
You mean if Jay-Z and Yo Gotti have their way with presently filed federal lawsuit on behalf of 29 souls...