JUDGE ADDRESSES INMATE GRADUATES

The Bolivar County Regional Correctional Facility graduated 49 inmates
from its six-month drug and alcohol program on Wednesday.

Circuit Judge Kenneth Thomas spoke at the graduation and said he
thought it was important to participate "to encourage and inspire and
further enlighten" the graduates along the lines of sobriety. Thomas
said he was referring to occurrences like driving while under the influence.

The inmates were the first to graduate from the program.

"When we first opened the facility, we had the 12-week alcohol
treatment program," Warden Tommy Taylor explained. "When we reopened
the facility in 2002, the legislation and Department of Corrections
needed more treatment slots."

"Statistics showed that drugs were a main reason for crime throughout
the state, so we were designated as a drug and alcohol treatment
facility under House Bill 778," he said.

"We were fortunate enough to get the program," said Bolivar County
Sheriff H.M. "Mack" Grimmett. "I was glad to see all the men who
participated graduate."

'At least they are participating in something that could possibly turn
their life around and become a productive citizen," he added.

In October 2002, the facility opened with a 16-week program. When
Taylor saw that the facility had an influx of prisoners with drug and
alcohol problems, he extended the program to six months. The warden is
now considering a new program that will last nine months.

The program is based on the 12-step alcohol program which includes
anger management, counseling for dysfunctional thinking, life and
parenting skills as well as family counseling.

Taylor is also working on an after-care program, he said he would like
to start. Ed Hargett, the program manager, and Charles Jones and Larry
Young, both chaplains, are working with the Baptist Convention Board
and the Mississippi Department of Correction to set up the new program.

The program, which mainly consists of state inmates, is conducted by
Stuart Allen, Ivory Lloyd and Ira Wilson. There were three classes in
the program, two which graduated last night, the other class will
graduate in September.

"We will start two more six-month classes on July 14," Taylor
explained. Sometimes, the men are put into the programs according to
their release date so they will have ample time to complete it.

Since the program is limited, the classes are made up of men. Most
females are only at the BCRCF for about four months, since the female
inmates are in transient to other facilities. They do, however, hold
counseling sessions three hours a week for the female inmates.

Taylor said he is working on receiving treatment grants.

"We've done real well on a shoestring budget," he said. MDOC received
a grant of a million dollars in 2002. "If I had a million dollars to
work with, we would be the best in the south."

Taylor said the program is important to him and the inmates. He told
his program manager in the beginning that they needed to a drug and
alcohol program. They did this before they were designated by MDOC.

A lot of the inmates are in the program by court order, but some just
want treatment, Taylor said. One reason is the inmates can receive an
extra 10 days a month off their sentence for completing the program.
This falls under the state's merit-earned time, which grants inmates
time off for completing an educational or beneficial program. Of
course, mandatory sentences are not included in receiving time off.

Some inmates have taken the program twice to reinforce what they have
learned. The program isn't easy to complete. If an inmate misses more
than two classes in the six-month period, he will have to start over.

Inmate Bobby McFalls, a middle-aged inmate, is serving out a life
sentence and graduated Wednesday night.

McFalls, who said he started taking drugs when he was 13 years old,
has taken the classes twice, and said he feels it is worthwhile.

"The class has really opened my eyes," he commented. "I have been in
jail since I was 19, and my crime was drug related."

"I don't think I would have committed murder if I had not been on
drugs," he added. McFadden had also participated in a drug program
while at Parchman. He was released and violated his parole by using
drugs.

"If I got out now, I wouldn't continue using drugs," he said. "If I
violated my parole one more time, I would be in here for life."

John Russell is a first-time graduate of the program and and is
serving out 3 1/2 more years.

"I went to AA programs, but I didn't firmly get the idea," he
explained. "It isn't about alcohol and drugs, but about behavior."

"It's a solution to behavior problems, which lead us to drugs," he
added. "You have to make a complete psychic change."

Grant Vance decided to take the program on his own accord. He said the
program taught him the different dangers of that type of lifestyle,
and now he will teach those truths to his daughter.

Rowland Hatchett, the college graduate of the group, said he got
involved in drugs to make a quick buck. He sold for a while before he
started using.

Hatchett said he had also been in a program before, but it only lasted
30 days.

"This six-month program is more in depth," he explained. "We have an
excellent teacher, who brought up lots of points the other program I
took didn't point out such as the triggers and causes."

"I'd just like to thank the warden for making the program available,"
Grant said. "I now have the tools to make it outside."