Mississippi has the sixth least staffed prisons in the U.S., according to a recent study.
Las Vegas Personal Injury Lawyers at H&P Law examined 2023 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and 2022 data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics on the number of correctional officers and the number of prisoners in each state. The number of prisoners per correctional officer was calculated to determine the states with the least staffed prisons.
Mississippi, with more than 19,000 prisoners and just over 4,500 correctional officers, has an estimated 4.37 inmates per guard ratio. Oklahoma, Alabama, Idaho, Georgia, and Florida were the only states with a greater disparity, per the law firm’s report.
The study also found that there are around 3.94 correctional officers per 1,000 employees in the Magnolia State, the second-highest rate in the nation, yet the average pay for a correctional officer sits toward the cellar on a national scale.
Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Burl Cain sings a different tune, however. Touting pay raises implemented in 2022 and the benefits that one receives when obtaining employment as a correctional officer, he says a job within a state-run prison would prove worthwhile for a prospective worker.
“The pay is good. We start you off at $40,392, so you’ve got a $40,000 job. Add related benefits to it — insurance and all the retirement — and you’re sitting at $50,000,” Cain said. “This is a good job and we are gaining ground in recruiting.”
According to Cain, correctional officer training lasts around one month. One seeking the position will spend two weeks in a classroom setting learning what the job entails. A week of mentoring will follow. Then, once in the prison as a correctional officer, the new employee will be guided by a veteran staffer for around a month.
Though some may have reservations about working in a prison due to the perception of violence and gang activity within the four walls of a correctional institution, Cain has repeatedly touted that Mississippi’s detention facilities are safe.
“Our prisons are really safe now. We don’t hardly have any assaults on staff. I don’t remember when the last one was,” Cain said. “It’s a safe place to work. It’s good and the inmates are well-behaved. Most of the issues with violence are just about gone. We don’t hardly see any of that.”
The Department of Justice in March issued a report that contradicts comments espoused by the state corrections commissioner. Officials with the DOJ found that the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, South Mississippi Correctional Institution, and Wilkinson County Correctional Facility – which house a collective 7,200 inmates – failed to protect those jailed from gang violence while also not providing adequate living conditions at the facilities.
Federal authorities contended that chronic understaffing within Mississippi’s prisons served as the catalyst of violent criminal behavior running rampant. MDOC officials disputed the DOJ’s findings but said the state will work in compliance with the federal government as they continue to try to employ more correctional officers.
