2019 Mississippi Code
Title 47 - Prisons and Prisoners; Probation and Parole
Chapter 5 - Correctional System
Mississippi Prison Industries Act of 1990
§ 47-5-543. Lease of existing prison industries to corporation; exception for agricultural enterprises land, equipment, etc

(1) Within sixty (60) days after the formation of the corporation pursuant to the provisions of Section 47-5-535, the State Department of Corrections shall lease to the corporation all existing prison industries including the buildings, land, furnishings, equipment and other chattel used in the operation of such industries. Such lease shall be agreed upon by the State Department of Corrections, State Department of Finance and Administration and the corporation. The initial term of such lease shall not exceed six (6) years, provided that such lease may be renewed for additional successive terms of years not to exceed six (6) years in any one (1) renewal. No sublease to the corporation shall be in excess of that amount for which the department is obligated to pay under any lease agreement with any other state agency. Any receivable and remaining funds shall be transferred to the corporation after the payment of any existing liabilities. No operating loss of any type shall be transferred to the corporation. The State Department of Corrections shall continue to manage and operate the prison industries until such industries are leased to the corporation. When leasing any prison industry program to the corporation, the corporation shall exercise a reasonable effort to employ any personnel of the State Department of Corrections who are currently involved in any prison industry program being leased to the corporation. Before the leasing of the prison industries, buildings, lands and other items mentioned herein to the corporation, the State Auditor of Public Accounts shall perform a comprehensive audit of all the items and things mentioned herein which are to be leased by the department to the corporation. The corporation may expand, eliminate, suspend or alter any of its industries as it sees fit.

(2) Any lands, buildings, equipment, furnishings, livestock, supplies and vehicles used in the department’s farming operations which were leased or transferred to the nonprofit corporation under subsection (1) shall be transferred to the department. Any personnel in the department’s farming operations employed by the nonprofit corporation who desire to be reassigned to the department and who are under state service may be reassigned to the department.

(3) The department is not required to lease land, buildings, equipment, furnishings or other chattel used in its prison agricultural enterprises.