South Mississippi Correctional Institution

South Mississippi Correctional Institution is a mixed-custody state prison for male inmates that is located near Leakesville, Mississippi. This facility opened in 1989 and has the capacity to house 3,082 inmates.

SMCI sits on 360 acres at Leakesville in Greene County. It has 16 housing units and inmates are classified as minimum, medium, and close custody. There is also a boot camp at SMCI known as the RID, or the Regimented Inmate Discipline Program. It attempts to help inmates with discipline, respect, and self-esteem.

SMCI provides free inmate labor to Greene County and adjacent municipalities and assists other state agencies. Inmates are assigned to the Greene County Road Crew and a mobile work crew.

Inmates also can work in the blueberry operations. The orchard was started at the prison in 2006 as a way to address inmate idleness and to teach inmates a trade skill in the blueberry industry. The blueberries help reduce food cost and serve as a healthier menu option.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

General Population Units – Saturday or Sunday, 0800 – 1400 hours.  Each unit has its own assigned visitation days.

Special Treatment Units (STU) – First Saturday or Third Sunday, 1600 – 1700 hours.

• Maximum Security (“C” Custody) – 1st Saturday and 3rd Sunday from 1600 – 1700 hours.  “C” Custody offenders will be restricted to non-contact visits only. Visits must be limited to two hours and prearranged by appointment.
• Maximum Security (“D” Custody) – Except for attorney visits, offenders in “D” Custody will receive NO visitors.
• Because of space limitation, persons visiting STU offenders are limited to no more than two adults and one child or one adult and two children at a time.
• Punitive Isolation – Punitive isolation offenders are not permitted to receive visits.

RID offenders - 0800 – 1200 hours. 1 & 2 Phase offenders visit on the 1st and 3rd Saturday, 3 & 4 Phase offenders visit on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month. 

General Visiting Rules

At all times while on the grounds of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, a visitor is subject to search of his person, vehicle, personal property, or any/all items one may have in his possession. Guns, knives, ammunition, alcohol, drugs, weapons, or any instrument or tool that may be used as a weapon, or any other items declared by the institution to be contraband are strictly forbidden. Contraband will be confiscated and violators will be prosecuted.

Visitors are required to park their vehicles in the designated parking area.

Visitors are prohibited from taking personal property or articles of any kind into the institution, with the following exceptions:

1. Visitors may have a maximum of $20 in coin. Visitors seeing inmates in the RID (Regimented Inmate Discipline) program will not be allowed to have any money. A change machine is provided as a courtesy to those visitors wishing to use the vending machines in the visiting rooms. The change machines are located in the entrance buildings at  Area-I, Area-II, and Area-III.
2. All paper currency must be converted to coin prior to admission to the visiting room. Any visitors found with paper currency in their possession in the visiting room will have their visit terminated and may be subject to suspension of future visiting privileges.
3. Visitors with infants may have one (1), clear diaper bag with up to two diapers, and one bottle, one change of baby clothes, and any necessary medications for the infant.  All diaper bags will be thoroughly searched.  
4. Visitors who are on any kind of prescribed medication may have the necessary dosage in their possession.  However, all prescribed medicine must be kept at the front desk.
5. All other articles and/or items of any kind are prohibited. Cameras, cell phone cameras, or any type of recording devices are not allowed on the grounds of the South Mississippi Correctional Institution. Visitors must leave beepers, wallets, purses, handbags, change purses, and all other non-allowable items locked in one of the visitor lockers provided in the entrance building for Area I or lock them in their vehicles.

The visitation rooms are designated as non-smoking areas.

Visitors will only be permitted to visit one offender unless they are related (immediate family) to another offender. Visitors who claim immediate family relationship to an offender may be required to provide verifiable proof of relationship.

Visitors under the age of eighteen may visit, but must have on file with the institution the written permission of their parent or guardian. MINORS MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY A PARENT OR GUARDIAN.

All visitors fourteen years of age and older must have photographic identification

No more than five persons (including babies/children) will be permitted to visit an offender at one time. 

Dress Code

DRESS CODE FOR MALE VISITORS:

• Shirts must be worn
• No tank tops, bare midriffs, or sleeveless tops
• Shorts may not be above the knee
• No cut-off shorts, jogging shorts, or biking shorts
• Shoes must be worn (no house or shower shoes)
• Under wear must be worn
• No pants pulled below the hip line
• No hats or head covering of any kind
• Hats, caps, and bandanas will not be permitted
• Medical alert bracelet 

DRESS CODE FOR FEMALE VISITORS:

• Shorts at knee level or below
• No hip huggers, cut-offs, jogging shorts, or biking shorts
• Skirts and dresses shall not be above the knee
• Slits shall not extend above the knee when seated
• No see through clothing
• No tank tops, bare midriffs, or sleeveless tops
• Shoes must be worn (no house or shower shoes)
• Underwear and bra must be worn
• Hats, caps, and bandanas will not be permitted
• No jewelry except wedding ring, religious medallion, and a medical alert bracelet
• Dress code applies to children also
• Visitors departing units are not allowed to bring anything from units except canteen purchases

Visiting Day Procedures

Upon arrival at the institution, visitors will be processed in the following manner:

• Present proper photographic identification (all persons over fourteen (14) years of age).
• Sign the visitor’s sign-in log.
• Submit to a search of their person by frisk search and/or scan with a metal detector.
• Submit to a search of any/all items in their possession that are allowed to be carried into the institution.
• Visitors who are not on an offender’s approved visiting list will not be granted admission to the institution.
• Inquiries concerning clarification, explanation, or errors in visiting lists should be directed by the visitor to the institution between the hours of 0800 and 1700, Monday through Friday.
• Visitors who are admitted to the institution will proceed directly to the Visitation Center.
• Visitors shall not be permitted to leave designated visiting areas. When a visitor leaves the designated visiting areas for any reason, the visit will be terminated.
• The visiting processing officer will instruct visitors not having proper identification to wait until all other visitors are processed. It will then be determined if the visitor can be positively identified. If not, the visitor will not be permitted to visit.
• Upon conclusion of visitation hours, visitors will not be permitted to leave the institution with any items or property that was not in their possession upon entering the institution except inmate’s personal property which has been confiscated.
• Offenders and visitors are prohibited from giving, trading, selling, or receiving anything to or from each other or other offenders or visitors.
• If the visiting room becomes overcrowded, the first visitors to register will be asked to exit.
• Communication between offenders and visitors is prohibited after the visitor’s departure from the visiting area.
• Children must not disturb others. Failure to supervise children may result in termination of the visit. Absolutely no toy guns or knives will be brought into the institutional grounds.
• The dress code will be enforced for both offenders and visitors at all times.
• Visitors are expected to converse normally. Loud talking, arguing, loud laughing, yelling and so forth may result in termination of the visit.
• Combing of hair within the visiting building is prohibited.
• Visitors may leave the visiting area at any time. Once a visitor leaves the visiting area for any reason, he/she will not be permitted to return that particular day.
• Visitors may not visit with more than one offender unless they are members of the same family.
• Any visitor or offender who becomes disruptive or disrespectful to a staff member will be reported and the visit immediately terminated.
• Offenders and visitors must keep the area clean (i.e., all cans, paper, paper cups, and other trash will be placed in trash containers).
• During an emergency or disturbance, all visitors will be asked to leave immediately

How to Call an Inmate

How to Send Money

There are three different ways to put money on an inmate’s account:

Money orders

The South Mississippi Correctional Institution only accepts Postal Money orders. The money order should be filled out completely and sent to:

South Mississippi Correctional Institution
(INMATE NAME and MDOC NUMBER)
Post Office Box 1419
Leakesville, MS 39451

You must include the facility name, the inmate’s MDOC number, and the inmate’s name on all money orders.

Online Deposit

Waycross Bank & Trust offers you a fast and secure way to deposit money into an inmate's account using a credit or debit card. In order to deposit money, you will need to know the inmate's id or name. 

Kiosk machine

Machine located in the lobby of the building can only be used on visitation day.

Programs For Inmates

Programs offered include:

• Adult Basic Education
• Alcohol & Drug
• Religious Programs
• Vocational Programs
• Inmate Legal Assistance
• Pre-Release
• Therapeutic Recreation

The SMCI Education Department offers both Adult Basic Education (ABE) and General Educational Development (GED). Students have access to a full-time counselor.

The Alcohol and Drug Program is both short term (12 weeks) and long term (six months) with individual and group counseling for treating alcohol and drug addictions. Other than alcohol and drug education, the classes and groups cover relapse prevention, coping skills, life skills/re-entry and post release, interview skills, anger and stress management, depression management, anxiety management, communication, and relationship skills. Upon successful completion, offenders are awarded a certificate. Services also are provided for community work center offenders and those in SMCI administrative segregation and protective custody units.

The Chaplains Department is primarily responsible for all religious activities at SMCI. There are regularly scheduled religious programs including Christian worship, weekly Jumah Prayer, communion, and mass. Many Bible classes are offered whereby the inmates may study together. The inmates in Area I meet in the Chapel built by inmate labor and monies donated by individuals outside of the institution.  

In addition, the department has a pastoral and crisis ministry which includes spiritual guidance counseling during a crisis or grieving period. Chaplains also provide marriage counseling and coordinate the marriage process of those incarcerated. Additionally, this department is responsible for interviewing, training, and supervising volunteers.

The Vocational Technical Department offers five programs that will enable offenders to become productive citizens when they are released. The programs are auto body, auto mechanics, electrical, plumbing and pipefitting, and welding. The length of each program is approximately 1,300 hours to 2,650 hours. GED classes and tutoring are available in night classes.

In addition to the vocational programs, offenders can obtain employment skills through Mississippi Prison Industries Corp.’s clothing manufacture operations at the prison. Items manufactured include work shirts, T-shirts, thermal underwear, gym shorts, BDU pants, and BDU jackets. In addition to inmate uniforms, officer uniform shirts also are produced for the state and other agencies.

One of the unique features of this prison is the 25-acre blueberry patch that inmates harvest.  

SMCI, through the state’s contracted healthcare vendor, Centurion, LLC provides onsite medical services to its offenders and those at the regional facilities in south Mississippi. These onsite services include, but are not limited to: emergency care, infirmary care, dental, optometry, clinical, and pharmaceutical services. In addition, specialty care services are available through a network of off-site contracted hospitals and specialty care providers.

Pictures of South Mississippi Correctional Institution

Careers at South Mississippi Correctional Institution