Amy
08-03-2004, 08:21 PM
http://www.picayuneitem.com/articles/2004/08/03/news/05parchman.txt
Tuesday, August 3, 2004 2:30 PM CDT
CLEVELAND (AP) - More layoffs are likely at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman due to a deficit in the Mississippi Department of Corrections budget, a prison official said.
Donald Cabana, the superintendent of Parchman, said the layoffs would not leave the prison understaffed.
Speaking to the Cleveland Noon Lion's Club on Friday, Cabana said prison officials had even decreased double shifts, overtime and sick time since recently laying off more than 70 employees.
He said decreasing excesses while cutting manpower was possible because some practices used at the prison prior to the layoffs were "not the best management in the world."
Cabana said a staff of 1,700 could effectively run the prison and maintain order among nearly 21,000 inmates.
Last month, the state Corrections Department notified 90 employees, ranging from security officers to teachers, that they no longer have jobs in Mississippi's prison system.
Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps has said that more layoffs will be coming.
Last month's layoffs will save the department about $3.52 million annually, Epps said.
Earlier this year, lawmakers approved a $266.1 million Department of Corrections budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. That compares with the $285 million that Epps said his agency will spend in the current fiscal year.
Tuesday, August 3, 2004 2:30 PM CDT
CLEVELAND (AP) - More layoffs are likely at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman due to a deficit in the Mississippi Department of Corrections budget, a prison official said.
Donald Cabana, the superintendent of Parchman, said the layoffs would not leave the prison understaffed.
Speaking to the Cleveland Noon Lion's Club on Friday, Cabana said prison officials had even decreased double shifts, overtime and sick time since recently laying off more than 70 employees.
He said decreasing excesses while cutting manpower was possible because some practices used at the prison prior to the layoffs were "not the best management in the world."
Cabana said a staff of 1,700 could effectively run the prison and maintain order among nearly 21,000 inmates.
Last month, the state Corrections Department notified 90 employees, ranging from security officers to teachers, that they no longer have jobs in Mississippi's prison system.
Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps has said that more layoffs will be coming.
Last month's layoffs will save the department about $3.52 million annually, Epps said.
Earlier this year, lawmakers approved a $266.1 million Department of Corrections budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. That compares with the $285 million that Epps said his agency will spend in the current fiscal year.