Legislation passed this year will expand opportunities for offenders to work while incarcerated.
During the 2024 legislative session, lawmakers passed several bills that will meaningfully impact the state’s prison system. Among them is Senate Bill 2445, which expands opportunities for individuals to work outside of prison while they are still incarcerated.
During the 2024 legislative session, lawmakers passed several bills that will meaningfully impact the state’s prison system. Among them is Senate Bill 2445, which expands opportunities for individuals to work outside of prison while they are still incarcerated.
Mississippi currently has a pilot work release program that is limited to 25 participants at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility. When Senate Bill 2445 becomes law later this year, the “pilot” designation will be removed, and the program will be expanded to include all state-run facilities. Additionally, around 20 regional correctional facilities will have the opportunity to implement similar programs. Each of the programs operated by the state or by a regional facility will be limited to no more than 25 participants.
To qualify for the program, inmates must meet certain criteria. For instance, they must have no more than 2 years remaining on their sentence and are only eligible if they have no disciplinary violations in the last 12 months. They must also be non-violent offenders. Many of the past and current participants were imprisoned for drug crimes.
Work release allows inmates to engage in meaningful work beyond the prison walls as they prepare to return to society. Often, they are able to keep these jobs once they get out of prison. Some of the individuals participating in the existing program work for a private employer, while most work for municipal governments, and one even found work at the Mississippi State Hospital.
The average wage for program participants is just over $13 per hour. Of that, 15% goes towards administration of the program; 25% goes towards any child support, fines, fees, and court costs; 50% goes into a savings account that’s available to the individual upon release; and the
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