Watchdog Group: MS Prison Industries Not Effective

A Mississippi legislative watchdog group is questioning the effectiveness of a nonprofit company that provides job training for people in prison.

The Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review, or PEER, said in a recent report that the Mississippi Prison Industries Corporation has not maintained a proper database to show how many inmates are receiving job training, the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reported.

The PEER report said Prison Industries “has been subjected to little oversight, neglected its statutory duties, and struggled with financial stability.”

The report also said the corporation’s “lack of operational and financial success has raised serious concerns regarding the entity’s ability to remain viable.”