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Committee member presses nominee on incarceration costs and reintegration goals
Summary
A committee member raised concerns about the high cost of corrections and asked whether the nominee would support rehabilitation and taxpayer relief; Perkins said her role is to determine fitness for release and she will review each case thoroughly.
During the confirmation hearing, a committee member (addressed in the record as Mr. Charlie) questioned Perkins about corrections policy and costs, asking whether she would pursue steps that help returning citizens become productive and ease the financial burden on taxpayers. The member said ‘‘corrections is the most expensive school that we have in Mississippi,’’ and emphasized interest in alternatives that reduce incarceration costs.
Perkins responded that the board’s responsibility is to judge fitness for return to society rather than to resentence, and described a methodical, case-by-case process: "Our job is not to resentence the offender. They've already been sentenced. Our job is to determine whether they are fit to go back into society." She said she will study offenders’ backgrounds, psychological evaluations and in-custody behavior before casting votes.
