WLBT 3 - Jackson, MS: Crime Victims Speak to MDOC Inmates

Crime Victims Speak to MDOC Inmates

By Howard Ballou
howard@wlbt.net

Often those who commit crimes are oblivious to the pain and suffering they leave in their wake. That changed at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Pearl Wednesday, where a panel of crime victims spoke directly to a group of inmates.

 Jason Bays was a key member of a college soccer team on its way to winning a championship. He didn't celebrate with his teammates because he was killed by a drunk driver in 2002. The pain is still fresh for his father, Don Bays.

Bays said, "...he flipped the vehicle three times. There were six of them in the vehicle and out of the six, Jason got killed and the other 5 just went home that night.."

Bays and three other crime victims and survivors from all over Mississippi told their stories to an audience of 100 inmates at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Pearl.

Inmate Gwen Bell said she now puts God first. Bell admits the words from these panelists had an impact on her. The Meridian native ends a five year stint for car theft in July.

Bell said, "...it taught me a lesson. I thank God I came here because I hurt a lot of people and I hate I did that and I can't go back and tell them I'm sorry.."

Christopher Epps is Commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. He says M-D-O-C's Division of Victim Services has recognized National Crime Victims' Rights Week this way for six years and Epps believes it has made a big difference when it comes to recidivism.

Epps said, "...the national recidivism rate is 68-percent over a three year period. Our's in Mississippi is 33-percent. So obviously, it's always room for improvement but we think that this, along with other things actually helps out.."

Don Bays says there will never be a sense of closure for him, but he admits events like this help.

Bays said, "...it gives me a sense of relief to come and share with others on my pain and out of the group we talked with today there might be one or two that'll regroup completely on what they do in the future."

Nearly 3,000 crime victims have registered with M-D-O-C for information about their offender since the Division of Victim Services was created in November 2000.