A History of Fighting for Freedom Continues through Giving All Mississippians a Second Chance – Enterprise-Tocsin

The Mississippi Deltaand my hometown of Tutwiler in particularhas been at the epicenter of Black Americans fight for civil rights and freedom since the early days of the movement. Almost 70 years ago, Tutwiler resident Woodrow Jackson prepared Emmett Tills body to make the long, lugubrious journey back to Chicago at the Tutwiler Funeral Home. Mamie Till-Mobley became a catalyst in the movement for justice soon aftera movement that I am proud to continue today through my work as a state representative humbly serving the citizens of Bolivar, Quitman, Sunflower, and Tallahatchie counties.

More than half of the people in Mississippi jails and nearly two out of three people in Mississippi prisons are Black. But Black people make up less than 40 percent of the States population, which means we are grossly overrepresented behind bars. Over the past three decades, the Black incarceration rate has increased 85 percent.

The prison crisis in Mississippi has hit the Black community especially hard. As a result, Mississippi has the second-highest imprisonment rate in the country. This crisis has separated families and costs taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year. When you stack this issue on top of all of the other challenges and obstacles our community has faced (and is currently facing), the barriers can seem nearly insurmountable.

These alarming statistics are one of the many reasons why we must continue to prioritize common sense criminal justice reforms so that all Mississippians have the chance to productively contribute to our communities.

We have passed legislation to help safely reduce our prison population. Now, we can continue to build on the criminal justice reform successes of the past few years by prioritizing and investing in reentry programs. When we invest in re-entry services to help formerly incarcerated Mississippians return to their communities, we are strengthening our communities and promoting public safety. We are doing justice.

Dr. Cornel West famously said, Justice is what love looks like in public. We demonstrate our love for our fellow Mississippians and our love for justice by creating and funding critical post-release services like housing, and employment training opportunities that help people get back on their feet and start moving in the right direction. Mass incarceration has taken a tremendous toll on all communities and has negatively impacted Black families and communities. Thats why we have to expand opportunities to help people safely return home and give individuals a chance to productively contribute to their communities and to our State.

We have seen the results of doubling down on the same misguided policies and ignoring the need to support all of our citizens. Overly harsh and extreme sentences, inhumane and sometimes deadly jail and prison conditions, and barriers to release have fueled Mississippis prison crisis. Black Mississippians, especially Black men, have suffered the disproportionate impact.

We can keep Mississippi families together and save hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars by focusing on reentry services that support people returning home and reduce recidivism. These types of services cost far less than keeping people locked behind bars and give us the flexibility we need to invest in children, families, small businesses, and communities.

In his recent State of the State address, the Governor proposed a $2 million dollar investment toward reentry programs for people within six months of their parole date. This funding is a great initial investment in a comprehensive approach to building opportunities for people who are paroled to transition back into our communities. This is an opportunity to heal some of the fractures created in the Black community after decades of harsh policy.

The bottom line is that we must provide comprehensive and well-funded opportunities post-release so that people can safely and successfully reunite with their families and help build stronger communities. Thats what justice looks like.

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A History of Fighting for Freedom Continues through Giving All Mississippians a Second Chance - Enterprise-Tocsin