Composite story
Stone County jail re-entry class has a waitlist after 22 graduate
Wiggins, MississippiPublished 27 Sep 2026
Pathway Home 5 at the Stone County Correctional Facility in Wiggins is drawing more inmates than the next class can seat.
Twenty-two people graduated from the Pathway Home 5 re-entry class at the Stone County Correctional Facility. Warden John Moran said interest has grown and some inmates will have to wait for the next cohort. The South Mississippi Planning and Development District runs the class on a U.S. Department of Labor grant and can keep helping participants for up to a year after release.
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Stone County re-entry program sees growing demand, waitlist
Published 18 Sep 2026 accessed 27 Sep 2026
Facts
A re-entry program at the Stone County Correctional Facility has a waitlist as officials pick the next cohort.
Warden John Moran said interest has grown as inmates saw others finish the program and prepare for work and life after incarceration.
The program also helps with transportation, work clothing, child care, and employers willing to hire people with criminal records.
Pathway Home 5 administrator Chris Nixon said the program’s work continues once participants leave the facility.
Brady said mock interviews helped him build confidence for finding work after release.
Zachary Brady said the class started as something he thought he needed in order to go home.
Nixon said finding employment is one of the biggest obstacles because participants need employers willing to hire people with criminal records.
Nixon said some employers really need workers and are willing to give participants a second chance.
Moran said more than 153 community volunteers also support inmates through programs and activities.
Nixon said he has seen good careers, including high-paying jobs, come out of the program.
Moran said the facility has tried running two cohorts at once, but keeping multiple groups going can be difficult.
Opinion
Brady said he did not know what the class offered, but he was glad he took it.
Brady said the community involvement has been meaningful as he prepares for release.
Brady said inmates who get the opportunity should take advantage of it.
Inmates graduate workforce program at Stone County Correctional
Published 26 Aug 2026 accessed 27 Sep 2026
Facts
Brady earned his certificate of completion Wednesday.
SMPDD said it is the first in the state to receive the federal grant that pays for the program.
Brady said he has been in and out of trouble since he graduated high school eight years ago.
Brady said that once he turned 18 he started using drugs.
Brady said he has decided that, at this point in his life, it is now or never.
Stone County Correctional is one of four facilities hosting the classes.
Allison Hawkins, SMPDD economic and workforce development director, said the program prepares incarcerated people for life outside.
Hawkins said the participants are coming back to the community anyway.
Kimberly Bates-Adams was a state probation agent before she became lead training instructor for the program.
Bates-Adams said that coming from corrections, she knows what it is like to hold people accountable.
The grant funding will be fully used by the end of 2027.
SMPDD is looking at applying for another grant or finding other funding to continue the program.
Opinion
WLOX said Brady's "do or die" mentality paid off.
Hawkins said employment is a huge indicator of whether someone goes back to jail.
Bates-Adams said she is not only talking about success and can show participants how to be successful in life.
Bates-Adams said they have learned that success starts with mentality.
Stone County inmates celebrate graduation from SMPDD Pathway Home 5 Re-Entry Program
Published 27 Aug 2026 accessed 27 Sep 2026
Facts
Chris Nixon said the class is hard at first, then participants see how it helps with re-entry, jobs, and training.
Family, staff, and community partners gathered to recognize the participants' dedication and progress.
Graduate Raytrell Jones said being in the program was a challenge.
Jones said the biggest challenge will be getting out and applying the tools from the program in society.
Jones said finishing the class feels like completing a first step in life.
Opinion
Nixon said it is moving to see them graduate and get certificates, and that it is a next step toward re-entering society.
Nixon said that if someone has a family member or friend who is incarcerated, there is hope for that person.
Jones recommended that people in his position take the program, finish it, and take that step.
Jones said the instructors were patient and that the challenging program is up to the participant.