WASHINGTON, DC – FWD.us President Todd Schulte issued the following statement today on Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant’s State-of-the-State Address:

“Today’s State-of-the-State Address delivered by Governor Phil Bryant lifted the urgent and ongoing need for criminal justice reforms in Mississippi. As this data brief highlights, Mississippi has the third highest imprisonment rate in the nation, and roughly 175,000 state residents have a felony conviction on their record. These aren’t just statistics. Mississippi’s economy, communities, and families are being held back by the state’s continued over-reliance on jail and prison. FWD.us welcomes the Governor’s support of broad bipartisan reforms and looks forward to supporting state lawmakers as they take further action to safely and significantly reduce Mississippi’s high incarceration rate in the 2019 legislative session.”