Mississippi Code 1972 (2023) › Title 47 - PRISONS AND PRISONERS; PROBATION AND PAROLE (§§ 47-1-1 — 47-7-101) › Chapter 5 - CORRECTIONAL SYSTEM (§§ 47-5-1 — 47-5-1517) › OPERATION, MANAGEMENT AND PERSONNEL (§§ 47-5-1 — 47-5-109.1) › Section 47-5-28 - Additional powers and duties of commissioner

The commissioner shall have the following powers and duties:
(a)
To implement and administer laws and policy relating to corrections and coordinate the efforts of the department with those of the federal government and other state departments and agencies, county governments, municipal governments, and private agencies concerned with providing offender services;
(b)
To establish standards, in cooperation with other state agencies having responsibility as provided by law, provide technical assistance, and exercise the requisite supervision as it relates to correctional programs over all state-supported adult correctional facilities and community-based programs;
(c)
To promulgate and publish such rules, regulations and policies of the department as are needed for the efficient government and maintenance of all facilities and programs in accord insofar as possible with currently accepted standards of adult offender care and treatment;
(d)
To provide the Parole Board with suitable and sufficient office space and support resources and staff necessary to conduct Parole Board business under the guidance of the Chairman of the Parole Board;
(e)
To contract for transitional reentry center beds that will be used as noncorrections housing for offenders released from the department on parole, probation or post-release supervision but do not have appropriate housing available upon release. At least one hundred (100) but no more than eight hundred (800) transitional reentry center beds contracted by the department and chosen by the Parole Board shall be available for the Parole Board to place parolees without appropriate housing;
(f)
To designate deputy commissioners while performing their officially assigned duties relating to the custody, control, transportation, recapture or arrest of any offender within the jurisdiction of the department or any offender of any jail, penitentiary, public workhouse or overnight lockup of the state or any political subdivision thereof not within the jurisdiction of the department, to the status of peace officers anywhere in the state in any matter relating to the custody, control, transportation or recapture of such offender, and shall have the status of law enforcement officers and peace officers as contemplated by Sections
45-6-3
,
97-3-7
and
97-3-19
.
For the purpose of administration and enforcement of this chapter, deputy commissioners of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, who are certified by the Mississippi Board on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Training, have the powers of a law enforcement officer of this state. Such powers shall include to make arrests and to serve and execute search warrants and other valid legal process anywhere within the State of Mississippi while performing their officially assigned duties relating to the custody, control, transportation, recapture or arrest of any offender within the jurisdiction of the department or any offender of any jail, penitentiary, public workhouse or overnight lockup of the state or any political subdivision thereof not within the jurisdiction of the department in any matter relating to the custody, control, transportation or recapture of such offender;
(g)
To make an annual report to the Governor and the Legislature reflecting the activities of the department and make recommendations for improvement of the services to be performed by the department;
(h)
To cooperate fully with periodic independent internal investigations of the department and to file the report with the Governor and the Legislature;
(i)
To contract with licensed special care facilities for paroled inmates to provide authorized medical services and support services for medically frail inmates who have been paroled and who have voluntary submitted to the Department of Corrections an address to one of the licensed care facilities to receive such services; and
(j)
To perform such other duties necessary to effectively and efficiently carry out the purposes of the department as may be directed by the Governor.
Laws, 1976, ch. 440, § 15; reenacted, Laws, 1981, ch. 465, § 18; reenacted, Laws, 1984, ch. 471, § 18; reenacted, Laws, 1986, ch. 413, § 18; Laws, 1988, ch. 504, § 9; Laws, 1989, 1st Ex Sess, ch. 3, § 10; Laws, 1995, ch. 416, § 2, eff. 3/15/1995.
Amended by Laws, 2022, ch. 496, HB 936,§ 5, eff. 7/1/2022.
Amended by Laws, 2022, ch. 508, HB 1426,§ 8, eff. 7/1/2022.
Amended by Laws, 2020, ch. 485, HB 685,§ 8, eff. 7/1/2020.
Amended by Laws, 2016, ch. 495, HB 1498, 4, eff. 7/1/2016.
Amended by Laws, 2014, ch. 457, HB 585, 49, eff. 7/1/2014.