New program helps Mississippi inmates prepare for post-prison life

Pam Dankins, Mississippi Clarion Ledger
·4 min read
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The Mississippi Department of Corrections announced that 34 inmates graduated in early April through a new program aimed at reducing the number of people returning to prison.

The "Reentry Academy" is a three-month structured program designed to "strengthen inmates’ life skills" to help them assimilate back to society. The program intends to stem the recidivism rate within the first three years of release.

According to officials, 1,000 inmates started the program last fall and a total of 344 inmates have since graduated. Another group of inmates will graduate later this month.

Deputy Commissioner Kelley Christopher, who oversees programs, education, and reentry, said people may receive a “blueprint” for their life and the directions they can go, “but they are not always given the tools and resources to make it happen."

The State Penitentiary at Parchman houses more than 3,000 inmates.
The State Penitentiary at Parchman houses more than 3,000 inmates.

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“The first measurement of the success of an inmate’s return to society is that he or she does not come back to prison,” Christopher said in a press release. “The goal of the Reentry Academy is to create a consistent, uniform pathway for inmates to gain the personal skills, perspectives, and the confidence to navigate the inherent obstacles in the way of a felon as he or she creates a new life in a free society.”

Officials with the department said eligible inmates must have a clean prison record, a GED or HED, be within 36 months of release, and a commitment to finishing the program among other requirements.

One inmate, 28-year-old Lafabian Brownlee, said he now has direction in his life. When Brownlee came to prison almost a year ago for committing conspiracy in DeSoto County, Brownlee said he didn’t know what he was going to do when he was released.

Brownlee pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit a crime after being indicted for conspiring to embezzle hydrocodone and acetaminophen.

Brownlee said classes at the academy such as anger management, money management and moral classes, had him “really thinking” each night he returned to his cell.

Inmates enter commencement exercises for the first Reentry Academy Graduation at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman on April 5, 2024.
Inmates enter commencement exercises for the first Reentry Academy Graduation at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman on April 5, 2024.

“The reentry academy taught me to stay focused, don't give up, keep your head on and when things go bad, don't give in,” Brownlee said in a provided statement. “It was a foundation for friends, loving and caring.”

Brownlee said he plans to attend Delta Technical College to go into truck driving and earn a living to take care of his family. He will be released on May 8, 2024, and vowed not to return to prison.

“I will tell anybody this is no place you want to be,” Brownlee said.

Warden Patricia Doty, who directs the all-male Mississippi State Penitentiary program, said, “Its real intent is to prepare students to successfully remain in our communities as effective husbands and fathers and productive, contributing citizens.”

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In addition to the men's graduation, there was also a graduation held at the Mississippi Correctional Institute for Women.

Sheena Burke, who spent 18 months in prison for a conspiracy conviction, was released to parole five days after graduation. Burke was convicted to conspiracy to commit a crime and nonresidential burglary of a building.

Burke said she enjoyed "Smart Start" — a part of the academy focused on using workplace documents, math, and graphic literacy — the most. Burke said she aims to be involved in hotel management and eventually, operating her own business.

Burke said the program helped her through one of her roughest times.

“The Reentry Academy taught me a lot, especially how to think for a change and think before I act,” Burke said in the press release. “My son was murdered, and this program helped me with my grief and recovery. It taught me how to keep looking forward and never give up.”

Inmates participate in commencement exercises for the first Reentry Academy graduation at the Mississippi Correctional Institute for Women in Rankin County on March 22, 2024.
Inmates participate in commencement exercises for the first Reentry Academy graduation at the Mississippi Correctional Institute for Women in Rankin County on March 22, 2024.

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Vicki Gilliam, assistant district attorney for Rankin and Madison counties, served as a guest speaker at the graduation. Gilliam said emphasis is often placed on prosecuting and punishing people for criminal behavior, but rehabilitation is sometimes ignored, the release states.

“This program is a miracle and continues to be a miracle. Mississippi, the most conservative state, created this program and allowed you to be in it because rehabilitation works,” Gilliam said in the release. “Inmates, you, had to make a choice to participate in this program or not. That is why this program will work for you.”

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: MS MDOC inmates graduate and prepare for life after prison