(Photo from MAGCOR FY 2025 Annual Report)
- MAGCOR points to examples like Wade, the new City of Pearl employee, whose past life is not stopping him from setting high goals.
For 61-year-old Nikkie, receiving a second chance at employment after being sentenced for embezzlement is life-affirming.
“The two biggest benefits are gaining my confidence and knowing I am going to become a productive member of society,” she said during a recent workday at MAGCOR, a non-profit dedicated to teaching the incarcerated in-demand job skills.
Nikkie and 31-year-old Elizabeth are studying for a ServSafe certificate. The certificate, created by the National Restaurant Association to ensure holders understand food safety practices, will give the women an advantage when applying for restaurant positions upon release.
Elizabeth, who was sentenced for a DUI death, said the certificate will ensure a “foot up” against other restaurant applicants.
Workplace readiness is vital for former inmates in becoming productive citizens, said state Senator Lydia Chassaniol (R), vice chair of the chamber’s Corrections Committee.
The non-profit operates several workshops across the state where inmates learn skills in food service, metal manufacturing, warehouse operations, apparels and textiles, printing, and recycling. The skills are coupled with a reentry program that focuses on cognitive behavior therapy, anger management, and drug and alcohol prevention. MAGCOR officials said its programs have helped someone in all 82 Mississippi counties.
MAGCOR also operates a work release program. Martha Claire Bullen, the organization’s chief reentry officer, said the organization does more than just teach job skills.
“It’s where accountability becomes habit, where discipline becomes routine, and where someone starts to believe again that their future can look different from its past,” Bullen said.
For Wade, a former MAGCOR participant and the newest employee of the City of Pearl, the organization was instrumental in his obtaining a full-time position one he had served his time.
“I can actually see myself never going back to prison. I can see a future and a life where I do not come back,” said Wade, who was sentenced for a DUI wreck.
Wade credits MAGCOR with understanding he is a tactile person, with a background in mechanics, HVAC, and electrical work. He continues to learn hands-on at his new job.
“I have learned heavy machinery operation while I have been here. Anything I do not know, they train me,” he said. “They have great patience, and they encourage you along the way by telling you, ‘You’ll get it.’”
Bullen and Senator Chassaniol both said that when a former inmate has a meaningful job, they are less likely to reoffend. That is where MAGCOR’s services come in.
A recent study by MAGCOR and the Mississippi Business Alliance found that large companies are more likely to hire the formerly incarcerated. However, all sizes of employers said they believe in giving people a second chance.
Bullen noted that larger companies have policies in place for hiring MAGCOR participants. She quickly added that the organization is willing to help small companies with employment needs and policies as well.
There is a leeriness by some employers to hire people who have served in prison, said Bullen. However, she tells those skeptical employers to judge the employees on their job performance, as they are dedicated and have less of a turnover rate than non-offending employees.
MAGCOR points to examples like Wade, the new City of Pearl employee, whose past life is not stopping him from setting high goals.
“In 10 years, I can see myself still with the City of Pearl. I could see myself in one of these main offices being a boss here when one of them retires,” Wade said.
To learn more about the work being done in Mississippi by MAGCOR, visit here.
