Senate Bill 2451

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 47-5-30, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO AUTHORIZE AND DIRECT THE COMMISSIONER OF THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS TO PROJECT INMATE POPULATION GROWTH; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Section 47-5-30, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

47-5-30. (1) The Commissioner of Corrections shall develop a strategic plan for its operation of the state correctional system. The strategic plan shall cover a five-year period. The plan shall include, at a minimum, the following:

(a) A clearly defined comprehensive statement of the mission, goals and objectives of the agency;

(b) Performance effectiveness objectives for each facility under the jurisdiction of the department;

(c) A description of the department's internal management system used to evaluate its performance in relation to projected levels;

(d) Detailed plans and strategies for meeting current and future needs and achieving goals and objectives established for the state correctional system;

(e) A detailed analysis of the use of current agency resources in meeting current needs and expected future needs, and additional resources that may be necessary to meet future needs;

(f) An analysis of factors affecting projected prison populations, including impact of juveniles on prison populations and how populations are expected to change within the period of the plan;

(g) A plan to remove inmates from county jails.

(2) The department shall revise the plan annually.

(3) Upon completion of the initial plan and each revision, the department shall provide copies to the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chairman of the Senate Corrections Committee, the Chairman of the House Penitentiary Committee, the Legislative Budget Office, the Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review Committee, the Executive Director of the Department of Finance and Administration and the Legislative Reference Bureau.

(4) The commissioner shall develop the strategic plan before September 23, 1994.

(5) The commissioner shall develop an independent and unbiased growth model to forecast the state's inmate population. The growth model must produce a ten-year forecast of the inmate population and include a monthly review process to ensure the continued applicability of forecasts. In developing such a model, the department shall seek guidance from other states that have experienced success in developing and implementing growth models.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2024.