The Mississippi Justice System: The good, the bad and the ugly

The Greater Jackson Arts Council, Jackson's official arts agency, has been dedicated to creating conversation and change and improving the quality of life for Jacksonians through art and culture. Through their Creative Empowerment series, patronage and sponsorship of local artists, such as the recent mural created for the Barack H. Obama Elementary School by Charles and Talameika Brice, and most recently the CREATIVE Keynote Luncheon and a panel discussion with Piper Kerman of Orange Is the New Black fame, the organization is becoming a catalyst for thought-provoking discussion and freedom of artistic expression. I'm proud of the work they are doing and hope the Jackson Advocate will continue to be involved with the organization.

During the keynote speech, Piper Kerman eloquently bared the authentic threads that have now become a widely viewed tapestry on the Netflix hit show based on Kerman's book that details her 13-month sentence in a women's prison for money laundering and drug trafficking. Within the context of sharing her story, she affirmed that every incarcerated person that she has come into contact with has a story to share. "When I was incarcerated I saw so many examples of the ways that people will fight to find some productive and creative outlet for whatever is inside of them," says Kerman.

However, during the panel discussion, "Correcting Corrections: A Deep Dive On Prison Education", an unexpected type of fight began to brew. The panel consisted of Kerman, the Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner, Pelicia Hall; Prison Education Director for MS Humanities Council, Carol Andersen; MS Parole Board member, Betty Lou Jones; Keith Starrett - Federal District Court Judge of the Southern District of MS and Judge James Graves as the moderator. It was a meeting of the minds that encompassed views and statements on how education plays a major role in reducing recidivism - the repetition of a crime or reentry into the prison system by an offender. Nonetheless, midway through the discussion, a group of protestors interrupted by emphatically voicing their concerns on behalf of prisoners as a part of the National Prison Strike - taking place now until September 9.

The irony of the situation that unfolded was almost Shakespearean. An event that centered around a convicted felon was now rebuking other people speaking on behalf of convicted felons. What could have been an optimum time to make space for voices that are an integral part of the same conversation, gave way to the near criminalization of a group of people who I feared could end up in the same situation that the panel was discussing ways to prevent.

The protestors dispersed throughout the room, compellingly listing off and passing out sheets of paper with a list of their demands - ten to be exact. In a moment, as the situation rose to a pinnacle of tension where physical violence was being threatened from both sides, I looked around a room full of people who affect our criminal justice system through crime prevention, policing, and sentencing to the prison system itself, and wondered why no one thought to actually talk to the protesters. Why wouldn't someone address the fact that they had interrupted a panel discussion? Why wouldn't someone give them two or three minutes of time and tell them that there would be repercussions if they didn't adhere to that? Why didn't someone establish order in a way that was amenable and amicable to all?

With tears in my eyes, I felt helpless, confused and heartbroken by the actions of people I have long respected. These are people who affect the lives of Mississippians everyday through our justice system. Through this experience, I believe it is my personal duty to live up to the Jackson Advocate motto: The Voice of Black Mississippians - and not just some, but all of us. I intend to inform our community through factual and statistical information and dialogue with our community leaders and thinkers about our legal system, our criminal justice system and our prison system.

We, as Mississippians, are afforded a great luxury of being able to vote for our judges. Judges in the circuit court and in the court of appeals affect who goes to prison. These judges don't have the ability to affect education in the prison system, but they do have the power to stipulate, as a part of a convict's sentence, the connection to educational and job opportunities. And with the death of 10 inmates in the past month, the treatment of inmates, prison conditions and healthcare in the prison system are issues that will be addressed.

As we approach November, voters also need to be aware of candidates' views on various kinds of probationary, parole and pre-trial conditions. These conditions affect the amount of prisoners who are re-entering the prison system because of minor violations. As we delve into these topics and more, please stay tuned so that we can make informed decisions at the polls.