Difference Between Mississippi Prison and Federal Prison
What is the Difference Between Federal Prison and Mississippi State Prison?
Generally, prison facilities function as holding centers for incarcerated individuals. Under the provisions of Mississippi state law, state prisons are required to provide housing for persons sentenced by state courts. The Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) is responsible for managing all state-owned prisons within the state. On the other hand, federal prisons are controlled by the U.S government, and only offenders with federal convictions are committed to these institutions. Federal prisons are reportedly better funded than state prisons and are managed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
Inmates serving time in a federal prison usually serve longer sentences than inmates in Mississippi's prisons. This is because federal charges attract harsher penalties than state crimes. Furthermore, inmates can be transferred from one federal prison to another in the country, and vice versa, through the Treaty Transfer Program. However, transfers in a Mississippi prison system can only be to or from other state-owned prison facilities.
The Mississippi Prison System
The Mississippi prison system holds individuals who committed felony offenses against the state and have been sentenced to serve a term of imprisonment in a state prison facility. This prison term is usually more than a year.
The state prison facilities have a total housing capacity of 24,721. Under the Mississippi Department of Corrections' 2019 annual report, 19,866 inmates were incarcerated in state facilities that year. There are three state prisons facilities in Mississippi:
Central Mississippi Correctional Facility (Includes Youthful Offender Unit)
3794 MS Highway 468
Pearl, 39208
Phone: (601) 932-2880
Mississippi State Penitentiary
MS Highway 49 West
Parchman, 38738
Phone: (662) 745-6611
South Mississippi Correctional Institution
22689 MS Highway 463 North
Leakesville, 39451
Phone: (601) 394-5600
How to Lookup Inmates in Mississippi
To locate inmates held in Mississippi's prisons, interested individuals may use the Inmate Search tool. This tool also provides details contained in Mississippi inmate records, including the inmate's offense history, personal details, and incarceration facility. These inmate records can be obtained by inputting search criteria such as the inmate's name or MDOC ID number.
Alternatively, individuals can also obtain inmate records by sending an email to the records division or requesting by phone at (601) 933-2889. For successful inquiry, the records division requires requestors to provide the inmate's name, date of birth, and social security number/MDOC number.
Individuals can also send money to inmates using any option provided on the MDOC's Inmate Funds page.
Mississippi County Jails
County jails in Mississippi are owned and operated by the county governments. There are 15 county jails in the state. These jails hold offenders that the court finds guilty of misdemeanors or severe ordinance violations. Typically, inmates in the county jails serve sentences not exceeding a year. Defendants awaiting trial can also be housed in the county jails.
The Mississippi county jails can be found at the following locations:
Alcorn County Regional Correctional Facility
2839 South Harper Road
Corinth, 38834
Phone: (662) 286-7085
Bolivar County Correctional Facility
2792 MS Highway 8 West
Cleveland, 38732
Phone: (662) 843-3284
Chickasaw County Regional Correctional Facility
120 Lancaster Circle
Houston, 38851
Phone: (662) 456-3319
Carroll/Montgomery County Regional Correctional Facility
33714 MS Highway 35
Vaiden, 39176
Phone: (662) 464-5440
George/Greene County Correctional Facility
154 Industrial Park Road
Lucedale, 39452
Phone: (601) 947-9399
Holmes/Humphreys County Correctional Facility
23234 MS Highway 12 East
Lexington, 39095
Phone: (662) 834-5016
Issaquena County Correctional Facility
Post Office Box 220
Mayersvillle, 39113
Jefferson/Franklin County Correctional Facility
279 MS Highway 33
Fayette, 39069
Phone: (601) 786-2284
Kemper/Neshoba County Regional Correctional Facility
374 Stennis Industrial Park Road
DeKalb, 39328
Phone: (601) 743-5767
Leake County Correctional Facility
399 C. O. Brooks Street
Carthage, 39051
Phone: (601) 298-9003
Marion/Walthall County Correctional Facility
503 South Main Street
Columbia, 39429
Phone: (601) 736-3621
Stone County Correctional Facility
1420 Industrial Park Road
Wiggins, 39577
Phone: (601) 928-7042
Winston/Choctaw County Correctional Facility
22062 MS Highway 25 North
Louisville, 39339
Phone: (662) 773-2528
Washington County Regional Correctional Facility
60 Stokes King Road
Greenville, 38701
Phone: (662) 537-2000
Yazoo Regional Correctional Facility
154 Roosevelt Hudson Drive
Yazoo City, 39194
Phone: (662) 751-8484
The county sheriffs' offices are responsible for managing jail facilities located across the state. These offices also generate, maintain, and disseminate jail records. Typically, interested persons can look up inmate records in person or via a written request delivered by mail to the sheriff's office.
Depending on the county, the sheriff's office may also offer inmate search tools or rosters on its website. These features provide information on current jail residents and, in some cases, can be accessed on the county government's website.
How Does the Federal Prison System Work?
The federal prison system provides facilities where offenders indicted on federal criminal charges are held until they serve out their court-imposed sentences. There are 122 federal prison facilities throughout the United States, with over 152,000 inmates confined; however, only 81% of the inmates serve time in a BOP-controlled facility. Other inmates are sent to private prison facilities. Interested parties can locate the federal prisons with the Facility Locator tool.
The Federal Bureau of Prison (BOP) is in charge of the federal prison facilities and has 37, 411 employees in its various departments. Members of the public can access the BOP's inmate database via the Inmate Locator. This search tool provides certain incarceration information such as an inmate's offense, personal background, probation/parole information.
