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Committee advances bills to expand inmate work-release with MDOT and Delta employers; lawmakers question liability and wages
Summary
The committee advanced bills to let inmates work for MDOT and in a Delta community work‑release program, while lawmakers sought written assurances about liability, workers’ compensation, prevailing wages, and wage deductions.
Lawmakers advanced two bills to broaden inmate work-release opportunities: one to authorize inmates housed in regional jails to work for the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) on highway maintenance (mowing and litter pickup), and another to authorize a Delta work‑release program with a local economic-development foundation.
The bills aim to allow participating inmates to work in the community, earn wages at prevailing rates, build job skills, and potentially transition to MDOT employment after release. The vice chair explained that the Delta proposal is voluntary, would follow standards set by the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Prison…
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