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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

Hospitals see danger in Medicaid spending cuts

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mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-07-10 15:30:00


Mississippi hospitals could lose up to $1 billion over the next decade due to a new federal tax and policy law signed by President Trump. The law reduces Medicaid spending by tightening eligibility, including work requirements, potentially increasing uninsured rates by 160,000 in Mississippi and raising private insurance costs. Rural hospitals, vital to local communities and economies, risk closure or service cuts, especially as enhanced Medicaid reimbursements decline starting in 2028. Lawmakers are divided, with Democrats opposing the bill and Republicans largely supporting it. The law is projected to add $3.3 trillion to the national debt over 10 years.

Mississippi hospitals could lose up to $1 billion over the next decade under the sweeping, multitrillion-dollar tax and policy bill President Donald Trump signed into law last week, according to leaders at the Mississippi Hospital Association.

The leaders say the cuts could force some already-struggling rural hospitals to reduce services or close their doors.

The law includes the largest reduction in federal health and social safety net programs in history. It passed 218-214, with all Democrats voting against the measure and all but five Republicans voting for it. 

In the short term, these cuts will make health care less accessible to poor Mississippians by making the eligibility requirements for Medicaid insurance stiffer, likely increasing people’s medical debt. 

In the long run, the cuts could lead to worsening chronic health conditions such as diabetes and obesity for which Mississippi already leads the nation, and making private insurance more expensive for many people, experts say. 

“We’ve got about a billion dollars that are potentially hanging in the balance over the next 10 years,” Mississippi Hospital Association President Richard Roberson said Wednesday during a panel discussion at his organization’s headquarters. 

Richard Roberson, Mississippi Hospital Association president and CEO, discusses the impact of what the White House calls “One Big Beautiful Bill,” Wednesday, July 9, 2025, at the Mississippi Hospital Association Conference Center in Madison.

“If folks were being honest, the entire system depends on those rural hospitals,” he said.

Mississippi’s uninsured population could increase by 160,000 people as a combined result of the new law and the expiration of Biden-era enhanced subsidies that made marketplace insurance affordable – and which Trump is not expected to renew – according to KFF, a health policy research group. 

That could make things even worse for those who are left on the marketplace plans. 

“Younger, healthier people are going to leave the risk pool, and that’s going to mean it’s more expensive to insure the patients that remain,” said Lucy Dagneau, senior director of state and local campaigns at the American Cancer Society. 

Among the biggest changes facing Medicaid-eligible patients are stiffer eligibility requirements, including proof of work. The new law requires able-bodied adults ages 19 to 64 to work, do community service or attend an educational program at least 80 hours a month to qualify for, or keep, Medicaid coverage and federal food aid. 

Opponents say qualified recipients could be stripped of benefits if they lose a job or fail to complete paperwork attesting to their time commitment.

Georgia became the case study for work requirements with a program called Pathways to Coverage, which was touted as a conservative alternative to Medicaid expansion. 

Ironically, the 54-year-old mechanic chosen by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to be the face of the program got so fed up with the work requirements he went from praising the program on television to saying “I’m done with it” after his benefits were allegedly cancelled twice due to red tape. 

Roberson sent several letters to Mississippi’s congressional members in weeks leading up to the final vote on the sweeping federal legislation, sounding the alarm on what it would mean for hospitals and patients.

Among Roberson’s chief concerns is a change in the mechanism called state directed payments, which allows states to beef up Medicaid reimbursement rates – typically the lowest among insurance payors. The new law will reduce those enhanced rates to nearly as low as the Medicare rate, costing the state at least $500 million and putting rural hospitals in a bind, Roberson told Mississippi Today. 

That change will happen over 10 years starting in 2028. That, in conjunction with the new law’s  one-time payment program called the Rural Health Care Fund, means if the next few years look normal, it doesn’t mean Mississippi is safe, stakeholders warn. 

“We’re going to have a sort of deceiving situation in Mississippi where we look a little flush with cash with the rural fund and the state directed payments in 2027 and 2028, and then all of a sudden our state directed payments start going down and that fund ends and then we’re going to start dipping,” said Leah Rupp Smith, vice president for policy and advocacy at the Mississippi Hospital Association. 

Leah Rupp Smith, Mississippi Hospital Association general counsel and vice president for policy and advocacy, breaks down a timeline for what the White House calls “One Big Beautiful Bill,” during an event to discuss the impact of the law on health care in the state, Wednesday, July 9, 2025, at the Mississippi Hospital Association Conference Center in Madison.

Even with that buffer time, immediate changes are on the horizon for health care in Mississippi because of fear and uncertainty around ever-changing rules. 

“Hospitals can’t budget when we have these one-off programs that start and stop and the rules change – and there’s a cost to administering a program like this,” Smith said.

Since hospitals are major employers – and they also provide a sense of safety for incoming businesses –  their closure, especially in rural areas, affects not just patients but local economies and communities

U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson is the only Democrat in Mississippi’s congressional delegation. He voted against the bill, while the state’s two Republican senators and three Republican House members voted for it. Thompson said in a statement that the new law does not bode well for the Delta, one of the poorest regions in the U.S. 

“For my district, this means closed hospitals, nursing homes, families struggling to afford groceries, and educational opportunities deferred,” Thompson said. “Republicans’ priorities are very simple: tax cuts for (the) wealthy and nothing for the people who make this country work.”

While still colloquially referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the name was changed by Democrats invoking a maneuver that has been used by lawmakers in both chambers to oppose a bill on principle. 

“Democrats are forcing Republicans to delete their farcical bill name,” Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer of New York said in a statement. “Nothing about this bill is beautiful — it’s a betrayal to American families and it’s undeserving of such a stupid name.”

The law is expected to add at least $3.3 trillion to the nation’s debt over the next 10 years, according to the most recent estimate from the Congressional Budget Office.

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

The post Hospitals see danger in Medicaid spending cuts appeared first on mississippitoday.org



Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

This article reports on the negative impacts of a major federal tax and policy bill on Medicaid funding and rural hospitals in Mississippi. While it presents factual details and statements from stakeholders, the tone and framing emphasize the harmful consequences for vulnerable populations and health care access, aligning with concerns typically raised by center-left perspectives. The article highlights opposition by Democrats and critiques the bill’s priorities, particularly its effect on poor and rural communities, suggesting sympathy toward social safety net preservation. However, it maintains mostly factual reporting without overt partisan language, resulting in a moderate center-left bias.

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Crooked Letter Sports Podcast

Podcast: The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame Class of ’25

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mississippitoday.org – @rick_cleveland – 2025-07-09 10:28:00

The MSHOF will induct eight new members on Aug 2. Rick Cleveland has covered them all and he and son Tyler talk about what makes them all special.

Stream all episodes here.


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

The post Podcast: The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame Class of '25 appeared first on mississippitoday.org

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Mississippi Today

‘You’re not going to be able to do that anymore’: Jackson police chief visits food kitchen to discuss new public sleeping, panhandling laws

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mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-07-04 13:00:00


Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade visited Stewpot Community Services to discuss new Mississippi laws addressing homelessness, which ban public sleeping, panhandling without permits, and camping on public property. The laws include the “Safe Solicitation Act,” requiring permits for panhandling with misdemeanor penalties, and the “Real Property Owners Protection Act,” expediting squatter removal. Wade emphasized respecting constitutional rights while enforcing the laws and noted challenges like managing belongings of those removed and jail capacity concerns. Community leaders support the laws for safety but oppose criminalizing homelessness. Locals highlighted the need for more employment opportunities to address homelessness root causes.

Diners turned watchful eyes to the stage as Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade took to the podium. He visited Stewpot Community Services during its daily free lunch hour Thursday to discuss new state laws, which took effect two days earlier, targeting Mississippians experiencing homelessness.

“I understand that you are going through some hard times right now. That’s why I’m here,” Wade said to the crowd. “I felt it was important to come out here and speak with you directly.”

Wade laid out the three bills that passed earlier this year: House Bill 1197, the “Safe Solicitation Act,” HB 1200, the “Real Property Owners Protection Act” and HB 1203, a bill that prohibits camping on public property. 

“Sleeping and laying in public places, you’re not going to be able to do that anymore,” he said. “There’s a law that has been passed that you can’t just set up encampments on public or private properties where it’s a public nuisance, it’s a problem.”

The “Real Property Owners Protection Act,” authored by Rep. Brent Powell, R-Brandon, is a bill that expedites the process of removing squatters. The “Safe Solicitation Act,” authored by Rep. Shanda Yates, I-Jackson, requires a permit for panhandling and allows people to be charged with a misdemeanor if they violate this law. The offense is punishable by a fine not to exceed $300 and an offender could face up to six months in jail. Wade said he’s currently working with his legal department to determine the best strategy for creating and issuing permits. 

“We’re going to navigate these legal challenges, get some interpretations, not only from our legal department, but the Attorney General’s office to ensure that we are doing it legally and lawfully, because I understand that these are citizens,” he said. “I understand that they deserve to be treated with respect, and I understand that we are going to do this without violating their constitutional rights.” 

Homeless encampment located in the 1700 block of S. Gallatin Street in Jackson, Wednesday, June 2, 2025.

Wade said the Jackson Police Department is steadily fielding reports of squatters in abandoned properties and the law change gives officers new power to remove them more quickly. The added challenge? Figuring out what to do with a person’s belongings. 

“These people are carrying around what they own, but we are not a repository for all of their stuff,” he said. “So, when we make that arrest, we’ve got to have a strategic plan as to what we do with their stuff.” 

Wade said there needs to be a deeper conversation around the issues that lead someone to becoming homeless. 

“A lot of people that we’re running across that are homeless are also suffering from medical conditions, mental health issues, and they’re also suffering from drug addiction and substance abuse. We’ve got to have a strategic approach, but we also can’t log jam our jail down in Raymond,” Wade said. 

He estimates that more than 800 people are currently incarcerated at the Raymond Detention Center, and any increase could strain the system as the laws continue to be enforced.

“I think there’s layers that we have to work through, there’s hurdles that we are going to overcome, but we’ve got to make sure that we do it and make sure that my team and JPD is consistent in how we enforce these laws,” Wade said.

Diners applauded Wade after he spoke, in between bites of fried chicken, salad, corn and 4th of July-themed packaged cakes. Wade offered to answer questions, but no one asked any.

Rev. Jill Buckley, executive director of Stewpot, said that the legislation is a good tool to address issues around homelessness and community needs. She doesn’t want to see people who are homeless be criminalized, but she also wants communities to be safe.

“I support people’s right to self determine, and we can’t impose our choices on other people, but there are some cases in which that impinges on community safety, and so to the extent that anyone who is camping or panhandling or squatting and is a danger to themselves and others, of course, I fully support that kind of law. I don’t support homelessness being criminalized as such,” Buckley said. 

One of the homeless in Jackson panhandles at the intersection of U.S. 80 and Gallatin Street, Wednesday, June 2, 2025.

Many of the people Wade addressed while they ate Thursday said they have housing, don’t panhandle, and shouldn’t be directly impacted by the legislation. But Marcus Willis, 42, said it would make more sense if elected officials wanted to combat the negative impacts of homelessness that they help more people secure employment.

“There ain’t enough jobs,” said Willis, who was having lunch with his girlfriend Amber Ivy.

The two live in an apartment together nearby on Capitol Street, where Ivy landed after her mother, whom Ivy had been living with, suffered a stroke and lost the property. Similarly, Willis started coming to eat at Stewpot after his grandmother, whose house he used to visit for lunch, passed away.

Willis holds odd jobs – cutting grass, home and auto repair – so the income is inconsistent, and every opportunity for stable employment he said he’s found is outside of Jackson in the suburbs. The couple doesn’t have a car.

Making rent every month usually depends on their ability to find someone to help chip in, said Ivy, who is in recovery from substance abuse. She said she’s watched problems surrounding homelessness grow over the years in Jackson. Ivy grew up near Stewpot and has lived in various neighborhoods across the city – except for the times she moved out of state when things got too rough.

“There was just moments where I just had to leave,” Ivy said. “Sometimes if you hit a slump here, there’s almost no way for you to get out of it.”

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

The post 'You're not going to be able to do that anymore': Jackson police chief visits food kitchen to discuss new public sleeping, panhandling laws appeared first on mississippitoday.org



Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Right

This article primarily reports on new laws in Jackson, Mississippi, targeting public sleeping, panhandling, and squatting, focusing on statements by Police Chief Joseph Wade and community perspectives. The coverage presents the legislative measures—authored by Republican and independent lawmakers—with a tone that emphasizes law enforcement challenges and community safety, reflecting a conservative approach to homelessness as a public order issue. While it includes voices concerned about criminalization and the need for social support, the overall framing centers on law enforcement and property protection. The article maintains factual reporting without overt editorializing but leans slightly toward a center-right perspective by highlighting legal enforcement as a solution.

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