You can support your loved ones at MS State Penitentiary on InmateAid, if you have any immediate questions contact the facility directly at 662-745-6611.
Located at PO Box 1057 - Hwy 49 W in Parchman, MS, MS State Penitentiary carefully assigns inmates based on their custody level, considering factors like criminal history. MS State Penitentiary offers diverse educational and vocational programs aimed at equipping offenders for successful reintegration into society and reducing recidivism. Through these initiatives, inmates gain skills and confidence, fostering personal growth and resilience.
When someone you care about ends up in a state prison, it can be tough to navigate the ins and outs of the system. From figuring out how to stay in touch to understanding what you can do to make their time easier, it can feel overwhelming. That's where this webpage comes in handy. It's here to help you get the lowdown on MDOC - Mississippi State Penitentiary so you can stay connected and support your loved one during their time inside.
While incarcerated, reading is often the best use of time. Please note that books and magazines, puzzles, and word searches ordered for inmates must come directly from the publisher. This policy ensures that the items are new, untampered, and comply with the facility's regulations. Prisons and jails enforce this rule to prevent the introduction of contraband or prohibited materials. By restricting orders to publishers, the facility can better maintain security and control over the content entering the institution. Any books or magazines not received directly from the publisher will be rejected and not delivered to the inmate.
It is the mission of the Mississippi State Penitentiary (MSP) to provide public safety by maintaining the confinement of offenders within a safe, secure humane, and cost-effective environment while providing meaningful work and other self-improvement opportunities to assist them in becoming productive law-abiding citizens upon their release. MSP is the state’s oldest Institution, opening in 1901. It is located on approximately 18,000 acres at Parchman, MS in Sunflower County. MSP has a capacity of approximately 3,590 beds, which consist of fifty-eight (58) support buildings and seven (7) different housing units, ranging in size from fifty-six (56) beds at Unit 42 (Hospital) to 1,568 beds at Unit 29, (Unit 29 is MSP primary farming support unit).
This farming unit is responsible for providing food to three State prisons. The Penitentiary consists of 58 support buildings and seven housing units. Inmates can take vocational courses in agriculture, auto body repair, automotive/diesel mechanics, communications, HVAC, welding, carpentry, electrical, culinary arts and marine maintenance. In addition, inmates can earn a GED and adult basic education. Inmates who need to are encouraged to take substance abuse treatment programs, pre-release programs, and various faith-based programs.
MSP houses all adult male inmates who are classified as Protective Custody, Administrative Segregation, Administrative Long-Term Segregation, and Death Row. MSP custody levels consist of minimum, medium, and close.
All male Death Row offenders are housed at MSP, Unit 29, and all female offenders sentenced to death are housed at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Rankin County.
MSP offenders provide more than 100,000 hours of free offender labor each year to adjacent municipalities and counties, as well as assisting other state agencies. Programs offered at MSP include:
Therapeutic Recreation
Religious Programs
Independent Study and Tutorial Programs
Pre-Release
Faith-Based Program
Alcohol & Drug Program
ABE/GED Programs
Administrative Remedy Program (ARP)
PACT
Vocational Skills:
- Agri-Business
- Auto Body & Fender
- Auto Mechanics
- Carpentry
- Diesel Mechanics
- Communications Systems Installer
- Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration
- Industrial Electricity
- Marine Maintenance
- Welding
- Culinary Arts
Mississippi Prison Industries operates a work program at the MSP and utilizes more than 296,400 offender’s man-hours in its textile and metal fabrication. On a monthly average, 190 offenders work in these shops.
All MDOC facilities and grounds including Mississippi State Penitentiary became tobacco-free. The use or possession of tobacco (cigarettes, loose tobacco, cigar, snuff, chewing tobacco and any preparation of tobacco, (tobacco substitutes), smoking paraphernalia (matches, lighter, cigarette papers), and packaging material (snuff or cigarette containers) is prohibited. These items are considered and will no longer be permitted by inmates, staff or visitors. Any possession of these items will result in appropriate administrative action.
MDOC no longer provides Family Visitation offered for married offenders and their immediate family members.
MDOC no longer provides Conjugal Visitation between legally married offenders and their spouses.
All offender executions are carried out at Mississippi State Penitentiary at Unit 17 by Lethal Injection.
