The Mississippi House of Representatives passed legislation to require prisons to provide inmates with protective gear when working with hazardous materials or raw chemicals.
House Bill 658, authored by Rep. Justis Gibbs, D-Jackson, had previously cleared the Corrections Committee with a unanimous vote. That trend continued Monday when the bill was called to the floor for discussion, resulting in a 115-0 bipartisan vote.
Under the legislation, the Mississippi Department of Corrections will be required to provide protective equipment to inmates when work assignments include exposure to acids, alkalis, surfactants, and other toxins.
The legislation was introduced by Gibbs after hearing multiple stories of inmates developing cancer after being exposed to chemicals while working inside state prisons. Specifically, the story of Susie Balfour caught the attention of lawmakers upon the presentation of her testimony.
Balfour, who was incarcerated for over 30 years, was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer two weeks before her release in 2021. She then filed a federal lawsuit against MDOC, shedding light on the belief that exposure to chemicals while incarcerated caused her cancer.
“We owe an incredible debt of gratitude to Ms. Balfour for her courage in speaking out and to Representative Gibbs for hearing her voice, listening to ours, and taking action,” said Pauline Rogers of the RECH Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to helping people impacted by crime and incarceration.
“Every incarcerated person deserves humane treatment and basic protections, and HB 658 is a critical step forward in addressing these injustices. What Ms. Balfour endured should have never happened, and we are committed to ensuring no one else suffers under similar conditions.”
The bill now heads to the Senate, where it will need to be approved before heading to the desk of Republican Gov. Tate Reeves.
