JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant on Monday appointed an attorney with wide experience in state government to be the new state corrections commissioner.
Pelicia Hall has been interim commissioner since Jan. 30, when Marshall Fisher left the top job in the prison system after Bryant chose him to lead the Department of Public Safety. Hall had been Fisher’s chief of staff in the Department of Corrections.
Bryant announced her appointment as corrections commissioner Monday. She must be confirmed by the state Senate.
“Pelicia’s previous experience within the Department of Corrections has made it clear that she is the perfect choice to lead the agency,” Bryant said in a statement. “I know she will continue her outstanding service to the people of Mississippi, and I am delighted she has agreed to accept this appointment.”
The Department of Corrections has more than 2,200 employees and a budget of about $347 million. Hall will be responsible for overseeing three state prisons, three private prisons, 15 regional facilities, 10 community work centers, three technical violation centers and four restitution centers.
Hall has 15 years’ legal experience in government and in private practice. She has served as special assistant U.S. attorney. When she was a special assistant state attorney general, she represented the Department of Corrections and other agencies. She is a former lead attorney for the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics.
The day she became interim commissioner, Hall told The Associated Press that a priority will be trying to persuade lawmakers to increase the pay for correctional officers, who make about $24,000 a year. Hall said she would like to increase their pay to about $26,000 in the short term, with a longer-range goal of bumping it up to about $28,000 to $30,000.
Mississippi has some of the lowest salaries in the nation for corrections officers, she said.
“We recognize that low pay for staff is one of the contributing factors of contraband being brought in, which is one reason why we want to continue to fight to get those salaries where we believe they need to be so that our staff can afford to take care of their families and not be tempted by bringing in contraband and doing illegal things in our facilities,” Hall said.
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