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Mississippi Today

Parole Board revamp, victim notification among bills before Legislature

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Over a dozen bills have been introduced in the Legislature this session to revamp the state’s parole system, including at least one filed in response to the release of a man who killed his two family members. 

House Bill 112, by Rep. Price Wallace, R-Mendenhall, would require the Parole Board to send certified mail notification to crime victims, victim’s family or a designee before a parole hearing.

One of Wallace’s constituents is Zeno Mangum, the son of one of the victims of James Williams III, who killed his father and stepmother and was granted parole last year despite opposition from family members and lawmakers. Mangum previously told Mississippi Today his family opposed Williams’ release and didn’t receive notification about a parole hearing, which Parole Board Chairman Jeffery Belk disputed.

“I’m sure there’s others out there who haven’t been notified either,” Wallace told Mississippi Today about his bill.

Among the findings from a June 2023 review by the Legislative Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review Committee was that the board could improve its victim notification process.

In a sample of 100 inmates, PEER found two instances in which an inmate with a registered victim had a parole hearing in 2022, but there was no record in the Mississippi Department of Corrections’ inmate database of the victim receiving notification of the hearing.

Wallace said the requirement of certified mail, which needs a signature for delivery, would show proof that victims and families are notified of a parole hearing ahead of time.

The bill would take effect after passage, and it has been referred to the House’s Judiciary B and Corrections committees.

Here is a look at other parole-related bills proposed this session.

Parole Board membership

House Bill 114 by Rep. Wallace would dissolve the current five-member Parole Board and require the governor to reappoint three of five members who have a minimum five years’ law enforcement experience. Wallace told Mississippi Today he believes this perspective is valuable in making decisions to release people.

Currently, only one member, Marlow Stewart of Terry, a former MDOC probation and parole officer, has law enforcement experience. Chairman Belk is a former Chevron executive.

Among the other findings from the PEER report was that the Parole Board conducts unnecessary parole hearings for offenders who could qualify for presumptive parole and has not improved in maintaining minutes documenting its parole decisions.

The bill has been referred to the Corrections Committee and Apportionment and Elections Committee, of which Price is a member.

Senate Bill 2352 by Sen. Angela Burks Hill, R-Picayune, would reconstitute the Parole Board and set requirements for one member to have law enforcement background; two to be licensed attorneys, one with a background in prosecutorial law; and two who own businesses in the state.

The bill would also require parole hearings to be public and broadcast live on the Department of Corrections website. Other information would be required to be posted online, including notice of hearings for violent offenders, parole and revocation outcomes and guidance documents the Parole Board uses to make its decisions. Notification of upcoming parole hearings would be through first class mail. The bill has been referred to the Senate Corrections and Government Structure committees.

Notification before parole hearings

House Bill 844 by Rep. Becky Currie, R-Brookhaven, would require the Parole Board to solicit recommendations from members of the criminal justice system, including the original judge and prosecutor in the case and the attorney general’s office, when a person applies for parole. Before a hearing, notification would need to be sent to the original prosecuting attorney and judge and the police chief and sheriff of the municipality and county where the conviction happened. The bill has been referred to the Corrections Committee, which Currie chairs.

Keeping parole eligibility on the books

House Bill 357 by Rep. Daryl Porter, D-Summit, House Bill 755 by Rep. Fred Shanks, R-Brandon, and House Bill 1454 by Rep. Jansen Owen, R-Poplarville, would extend the repealer on parole eligibility reforms. Under the current law, parole eligibility is set to be repealed July 1, and the bills would push the repealer to 2027.

Under the parole eligibility reforms, those convicted of nonviolent and non-habitual drug offenses would become parole eligible after serving 25% of their sentence or 10 years. Those convicted of violent crimes would have to serve 50% of their sentence or 20 years to be eligible. For specific violent offenses such as carjackings and drive-by shootings, a person would have to serve 60% of their sentence or 25 years.

The reforms also include geriatric parole eligibility for incarcerated people age 60 or older who served at least 10 years.

Owen’s bill has been referred to the House’s Judiciary B Committee, and Shanks’ bill to the House Corrections Committee. Porter’s bill was referred to the Judiciary B and Corrections committees.

House Bill 710 by House Minority Leader Robert Johnson III, D-Natchez, would decrease the amount of time someone convicted of a violent crime would have to serve before becoming eligible for parole.

Johnson’s bill proposes that a person serve 25% of the sentence or 10 years. Under the current law, those convicted of violent offenses would have to serve 50% or 20 years, or 60% or 25 years, for specific offenses such as carjackings and drive-by-shootings.

The bill also would require three yes votes to grant parole to someone convicted of a violent crime after June 30, 1995, and four votes to parole someone convicted of capital murder or a sex offense. The bill has been referred to the House’s Judiciary B and Corrections committees.

FWD.us, a bipartisan group that focuses on criminal justice and immigration issues, lauded efforts to continue parole eligibility in Mississippi.

“Without parole and other commonsense reforms to safely reduce the state’s highest in the nation imprisonment rate, Mississippi cannot continue to improve public safety, strengthen the state’s workforce, and sustain the strong long-term economic development Mississippians deserve,” Mississippi State Director Alesha Judkins said in a Tuesday statement.

Parole eligibility for juvenile offenders

House Bill 1065 by Rep. Jeffrey Harness, D-Fayette, would allow those who were under the age of 18 when they committed an offense, sentenced for a violent crime and otherwise not eligible for parole at an earlier date, to become eligible once they reach the age of 21. A parole hearing would be required before being released. The bill has been referred to the House’s Judiciary B Committee.

House Bill 361 by Rep. Porter and House Bill 571 by Rep. Johnson called the “Juvenile Offender Parole and Rehabilitation Act,” would allow a person who was under the age of 18 and wasn’t eligible for parole at an earlier date to become eligible after serving 20 years. A parole hearing would be required before being released. Both bills have been referred to the House’s Judiciary B Committee.

House Bill 1554 by Joey Hood, R-Ackerman, proposes parole eligibility for those who committed offenses while under the age of 18 and received a life sentence after they have served 40 years. For those sentenced to life without the possibility of parole and were under 18, they would be parole eligible when they reach the age of 65. The bill has been referred to Judiciary B and Corrections committees.

Senate Bill 2022 by Joey Fillingane, R-Sumrall, would allow alternative sentencing and parole for people who were under 18. A court without a jury must hold a separate sentencing proceeding to determine whether to sentence a defendant to life or life without parole.

If the court finds a life sentence is unacceptable, it can sentence 20-40 years for first degree murder, 15-30 for second degree murder and 25-50 years for capital murder. This would apply retroactively regardless of when the offense, arrest and conviction happened.

A death penalty cannot be imposed if the person was not at least 18 when the crime was committed, which is in line with U.S. Supreme Court rulings around sentencing for juvenile offenders. The bill was amended and approved by the Senate’s Judiciary B Committee, which Fillingane chairs.

Parole and probation officers

House Bill 948 by Rep. Harness would limit the number of cases probation officers handle to 75. The bill has been referred to the House’s Judiciary B Committee.

Senate Bill 2024 by Sen. Hill would limit the number of cases of parole and probation officers to 50. If their caseload ratio is greater than an average of 51 for over a 3-month period, the Division of Community Corrections within the Department of Corrections would face a civil fine of $7,500. One half of that fine would be paid directly to the officer or supervisor, and the other half would go to the state general fund. The bill has been referred to the Senate’s Judiciary B and Corrections committees.

The American Probation and Parole Association doesn’t recommend specific caseload standards, but rather recommends agencies adopt a workload strategy to figure out their specific caseload and staffing needs. Some suggested standards for supervision are 20:1 for intensive cases, 50:1 for moderate to high risk and 200:1 for low risk.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

Mississippi River flooding Vicksburg, expected to crest on Monday

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mississippitoday.org – @alxrzr – 2025-04-25 16:04:00

Warren County Emergency Management Director John Elfer said Friday floodwaters from the Mississippi River, which have reached homes in and around Vicksburg, will likely persist until early May. Elfer estimated there areabout 15 to 20 roads underwater in the area.

A truck sits in high water after the owner parked, then boated to his residence on Chickasaw Road in Vicksburg as a rising Mississippi River causes backwater flooding, Friday, April 25, 2025.

“We’re about half a foot (on the river gauge) from a major flood,” he said. “But we don’t think it’s going to be like in 2011, so we can kind of manage this.”

The National Weather projects the river to crest at 49.5 feet on Monday, making it the highest peak at the Vicksburg gauge since 2020. Elfer said some residents in north Vicksburg — including at the Ford Subdivision as well as near Chickasaw Road and Hutson Street — are having to take boats to get home, adding that those who live on the unprotected side of the levee are generally prepared for flooding.

A rising Mississippi River causing backwater flooding near Chickasaw Road in Vicksburg, Friday, April 25, 2025.
Old tires aligned a backyard as a deterrent to rising water north of Vicksburg along U.S. 61, Friday, April 25, 2025.
As the Mississippi River rises, backwater flooding creeps towards a home located on Falk Steel Road in Vicksburg, Friday, April 25, 2025.

“There are a few (inundated homes), but we’ve mitigated a lot of them,” he said. “Some of the structures have been torn down or raised. There are a few people that still live on the wet side of the levee, but they kind of know what to expect. So we’re not too concerned with that.”

The river first reached flood stage in the city — 43 feet — on April 14. State officials closed Highway 465, which connects the Eagle Lake community just north of Vicksburg to Highway 61, last Friday.

Flood waters along Kings Point Road in Vicksburg, Friday, April 25, 2025.

Elfer said the areas impacted are mostly residential and he didn’t believe any businesses have been affected, emphasizing that downtown Vicksburg is still safe for visitors. He said Warren County has worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency to secure pumps and barriers.

“Everybody thus far has been very cooperative,” he said. “We continue to tell people stay out of the flood areas, don’t drive around barricades and don’t drive around road close signs. Not only is it illegal, it’s dangerous.”

NWS projects the river to stay at flood stage in Vicksburg until May 6. The river reached its record crest of 57.1 feet in 2011.

The boat launch area is closed and shored up on Levee Street in Vicksburg as the Mississippi River rises, Friday, April 25, 2025.
The boat launch area (right) is closed and under water on Levee Street in Vicksburg as the Mississippi River rises, Friday, April 25, 2025.
City of Vicksburg workers shore up the bank along Levee Street as the Mississippi River rises, Friday, April 25, 2025.
The old pedestrian bridge spanning the Mississippi River in Vicksburg, Friday, April 25, 2025.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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Mississippi Today

With domestic violence law, victims ‘will be a number with a purpose,’ mother says

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mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-04-25 15:07:00

Joslin Napier. Carlos Collins. Bailey Mae Reed. 

They are among Mississippi domestic violence homicide victims whose family members carried their photos as the governor signed a bill that will establish a board to study such deaths and how to prevent them. 

Tara Gandy, who lost her daughter Napier in Waynesboro in 2022, said it’s a moment she plans to tell her 5-year-old grandson about when he is old enough. Napier’s presence, in spirit, at the bill signing can be another way for her grandson to feel proud of his mother. 

“(The board) will allow for my daughter and those who have already lost their lives to domestic violence … to no longer be just a number,” Gandy said. “They will be a number with a purpose.” 

Family members at the April 15 private bill signing included Ashla Hudson, whose son Collins, died last year in Jackson. Grandparents Mary and Charles Reed and brother Colby Kernell attended the event in honor of Bailey Mae Reed, who died in Oxford in 2023. 

Joining them were staff and board members from the Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the statewide group that supports shelters and advocated for the passage of Senate Bill 2886 to form a Domestic Violence Facility Review Board. 

The law will go into effect July 1, and the coalition hopes to partner with elected officials who will make recommendations for members to serve on the board. The coalition wants to see appointees who have frontline experience with domestic violence survivors, said Luis Montgomery, public policy specialist for the coalition. 

A spokesperson from Gov. Tate Reeves’ office did not respond to a request for comment Friday.

Establishment of the board would make Mississippi the 45th state to review domestic violence fatalities. 

Montgomery has worked on passing a review board bill since December 2023. After an unsuccessful effort in 2024, the coalition worked to build support and educate people about the need for such a board. 

In the recent legislative session, there were House and Senate versions of the bill that unanimously passed their respective chambers. Authors of the bills are from both political parties. 

The review board is tasked with reviewing a variety of documents to learn about the lead up and circumstances in which people died in domestic violence-related fatalities, near fatalities and suicides – records that can include police records, court documents, medical records and more. 

From each review, trends will emerge and that information can be used for the board to make recommendations to lawmakers about how to prevent domestic violence deaths. 

“This is coming at a really great time because we can really get proactive,” Montgomery said. 

Without a board and data collection, advocates say it is difficult to know how many people have died or been injured in domestic-violence related incidents.

A Mississippi Today analysis found at least 300 people, including victims, abusers and collateral victims, died from domestic violence between 2020 and 2024. That analysis came from reviewing local news stories, the Gun Violence Archive, the National Gun Violence Memorial, law enforcement reports and court documents. 

Some recent cases the board could review are the deaths of Collins, Napier and Reed. 

In court records, prosecutors wrote that Napier, 24, faced increased violence after ending a relationship with Chance Fabian Jones. She took action, including purchasing a firearm and filing for a protective order against Jones.

Jones’s trial is set for May 12 in Wayne County. His indictment for capital murder came on the first anniversary of her death, according to court records. 

Collins, 25, worked as a nurse and was from Yazoo City. His ex-boyfriend Marcus Johnson has been indicted for capital murder and shooting into Collins’ apartment. Family members say Collins had filed several restraining orders against Johnson. 

Johnson was denied bond and remains in jail. His trial is scheduled for July 28 in Hinds County.  

He was a Jackson police officer for eight months in 2013. Johnson was separated from the department pending disciplinary action leading up to immediate termination, but he resigned before he was fired, Jackson police confirmed to local media. 

Reed, 21, was born and raised in Michigan and moved to Water Valley to live with her grandparents and help care for her cousin, according to her obituary. 

Kylan Jacques Phillips was charged with first degree murder for beating Reed, according to court records. In February, the court ordered him to undergo a mental evaluation to determine if he is competent to stand trial, according to court documents. 

At the bill signing, Gandy said it was bittersweet and an honor to meet the families of other domestic violence homicide victims.

“We were there knowing we are not alone, we can travel this road together and hopefully find ways to prevent and bring more awareness about domestic violence,” she said.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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Mississippi Today

Court to rule on DeSoto County Senate districts with special elections looming

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mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-04-25 15:06:00

A federal three-judge panel will rule in coming days on how political power in northwest Mississippi will be allocated in the state Senate and whether any incumbents in the DeSoto County area might have to campaign against each other in November special elections.  

The panel, comprised of all George W. Bush-appointed judges, ordered state officials last week to, again, craft a new Senate map for the area in the suburbs of Memphis. The panel has held that none of the state’s prior maps gave Black voters a realistic chance to elect candidates of their choice. 

The latest map proposed by the all-Republican State Board of Election Commissioners tweaked only four Senate districts in northwest Mississippi and does not pit any incumbent senators against each other. 

The state’s proposal would keep the Senate districts currently held by Sen. Michael McLendon, a Republican from Hernando and Sen. Kevin Blackwell, a Republican from Southaven, in majority-white districts. 

But it makes Sen. David Parker’s district a slightly majority-Black district. Parker, a white Republican from Olive Branch, would run in a district with a 50.1% black voting-age population, according to court documents. 

The proposal also maintains the district held by Sen. Reginald Jackson, a Democrat from Marks, as a majority-Black district, although it reduces the Black voting age population from 61% to 53%.  

Gov. Tate Reeves, Secretary of State Michael Watson, and Attorney General Lynn Fitch comprise the State Board of Election Commissioners. Reeves and Watson voted to approve the plan. But Watson, according to meeting documents, expressed a wish that the state had more time to consider different proposals. 

Fitch did not attend the meeting, but Deputy Attorney General Whitney Lipscomb attended in her place. Lipscomb voted against the map, although it is unclear why. Fitch’s office declined to comment on why she voted against the map because it involves pending litigation. 

The reason for redrawing the districts is that the state chapter of the NAACP and Black voters in the state sued Mississippi officials for drawing legislative districts in a way that dilutes Black voting power. 

The plaintiffs, represented by the ACLU, are likely to object to the state’s newest proposal, and they have until April 29 to file an objection with the court

The plaintiffs have put forward two alternative proposals for the area in the event the judges rule against the state’s plans. 

The first option would place McLendon and Blackwell in the same district, and the other would place McLendon and Jackson in the same district. 

It is unclear when the panel of judges will issue a ruling on the state’s plan, but they will not issue a ruling until the plaintiffs file their remaining court documents next week. 

While the November election is roughly six months away, changing legislative districts across counties and precincts is technical work, and local election officials need time to prepare for the races. 

The judges have not yet ruled on the full elections calendar, but U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Leslie Southwick said at a hearing earlier this month that the panel was committed have the elections in November. 

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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