The following is a statement from Mississippi Public Safety Commissioner Marshall Fisher and Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Pelicia E. Hall to clarify data included in the recent “State Gang Threat Assessment” report.
“This fact should not be lost: The data collected by the Mississippi Department of Corrections and the Mis- sissippi Department of Public Safety reflect the prevalence of gangs both inside and outside prison walls,” Commissioners Fisher and Hall said.
“The total number of offenders in the published gang report includes both the population incarcerated and on community supervision. However, the Mississippi Analysis and Information Center interpreted that all 11,914 offenders were incarcerated. After further review of the data MDOC provided, MSAIC has modified its calculations and will correct the percentage of gang affiliates in the incarcerated population to be 32 percent rather than 62 percent as originally reported.”
As of Dec. 14, 2017, there were 19,150 incarcerated offenders in the prison system. Of these incarcerated offenders, 6,087, or 32 percent, have a gang affiliation.
The numbers provided to state Sens. Willie Simmons and Derrick Simmons were based on data from the incarcerated population Feb. 14, 2018.
Department of Public Safety Press Release
2/21/2018
Sarah Ulmer
