JACKSON, Miss. (WTVA) - The appointment of the state’s new corrections commissioner was unanimously approved Tuesday.
In May, Gov. Tate Reeves announced the appointment of Burl Cain to lead the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC).
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Cain previously served as warden of Louisiana’s Angola prison.
"We are going to hit the ground running," Cain said. "Failure is not an option here."
Mississippi’s prison system made national headlines beginning in late December as dozens of state inmates would die as a result of violence within several state prisons, including the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman.
Former MDOC commissioner Pelicia Hall resigned in mid-January.
Related - MDOC commissioner stepping down in January
Following her resignation, the governor appointed former state Rep. Tommy Taylor to serve on an interim basis.