Mississippi  Department of  Corrections

Christopher B. Epps	Phil Bryant
Commissioner	Governor

Office of Human Resources

Director:  Sharon Pepper

The Office of Human Resources provides comprehensive personnel management services for the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC). This office works directly with the MDOC Commissioner and other senior level staff providing advice and guidance on workforce management and other employee related matters.  The office is comprised of the following sections and their major programmatic activities as indicated: 

PERSONNEL – responsible for overall management of the agency’s more than 3,500 employment positions and personnel matters for an estimated 2, 800 employees.

PAYROLL – responsible for coordination of employee compensation issues/activities throughout the agency.

STATEWIDE PERSONNEL SERVICES – responsible for public notification of available job openings within the agency and administering a program in accordance with State Personnel Board and agency guidelines; actively seeking quality applicants for open/available positions; administering the agency’s Rapid Hire program for interviewing, screening and direct hiring of Correctional Officers.

The Office Director of Human Resources supervises a total of four-(4) individual personnel offices located throughout the state. Offices are located at each of the three (3) major prison facilities:  the Mississippi State Penitentiary (MSP) at Parchman, the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility (CMCF) at Pearl and the South Mississippi Correctional Institute at Leakesville (SMCI).  An office at the agency headquarters in Jackson provides personnel services for the Central Office and Community Corrections. Community Corrections personnel include statewide field officers (Probation and Parole), sixteen (17) community work centers, four (4) restitutions centers and three (3) pre-release centers.

Personnel Offices

Directors:    Ruth Washington (MSP)

                        Linda Seaton (CMCF)

                        Alton Ellis (SMCI)

                        Patricia Smith-Powell (Central Office/Community Corrections)    

As position manager, the personnel offices are responsible for assessing the workforce needs of the agency and coordinating all transactions related to employment hiring, position/employee movement, and/or employee terminations.  As the people manager, the personnel offices are responsible for coordinating activities that directly impact the employee on both a personal and a professional basis.  Such activities include the employee benefit program, the performance appraisal system, the grievance process, employee discipline, workers compensation, and related services.  The Personnel Office Directors also serve as the chairpersons on committees for the MDOC Service Award Program.

 

Payroll Bureau

Director:  Karen Ware

The MDOC Payroll Bureau coordinates and processes payroll transactions for approximately 3,200 agency employees.  The activity in this office involves working with the pay/compensation components of the Statewide Payroll and Human Resource System (SPAHRS) to ensure accurate calculation and dissemination of paychecks. To ensure proper disbursements, staff members in this office constantly coordinate with Personnel staff involved in timekeeping.  The Payroll Bureau must ensure that proper pay adjustments are made to accommodate transactions such as garnishments, insurance, death payments, annual leave updates, and other appropriate business.

The Payroll Bureau serves as the agency’s direct liaison with the MS Department of Finance and Administration.  The office regularly generates numerous compensation reports that are required by state/federal statue and/or that satisfy agency policies/regulations. 

 

Statewide Personnel Services

Director:  Ruby Weathers

This Division provides a wide range of personnel services for the MDOC.  The Division is responsible for maintaining the agency vacancy list.  This division seeks not only to recruit qualified applicants for open positions within the agency but also to market Corrections as a career choice. 

Statewide Personnel Services serves as the central source for management of the agency’s Rapid Hire Program.  Since 1999, MDOC has been allowed to maintain an internal List of Eligibles for the Correctional Officer position.  This List of Eligibles has allowed for internal management of the employment of the majority of the agency’s staff and has permitted better control of the process within the agency.  The Rapid Hire program is the core system for the screening and hiring of Correctional Officers from this internal List of Eligibles.  This division oversees operation of the program from application receipt through interview/screening to rejection/hiring of individuals as Correctional Officers.