Soul Train Earns Celebrity Status At Parchman With Chicken Sandwich Meals

By Editor | July 17, 2024 |

DAVE’S WORLD
By David Howell

I always enjoy telling people I spent the weekend at the Mississippi State Penitentiary, or simply Parchman. It was actually a four-day stint as I served on a team with almost two-dozen men who shared the gospel to incarcerated men last week. We are part of Kairos Prison Ministry International, an international ministry.

I realize most people don’t give a hoot and holler about the guys doing time on the farm. Lock ‘em up and throw away the key. And honestly I had never given much thought about the guys housed there either, at least not until I made my first trip over in the spring of 2015.

I have learned that many of the inmates experienced tough home lives with abuse, neglect or abandonment. While certainly not an excuse to commit a crime or hurt someone else, this is an undeniable pattern. Hurt people hurt people.

The only pain I experienced during my childhood years was a belt on my behind when I got out of line. Strangely a kid who knows his boundaries and knows what happens when a line is crossed is a happy kid. But that is a subject for another day.

During the last few years I have witnessed a transformation at Parchman, a prison that once had one of the worst reputations in the county for violence and abhorrent conditions. I have also witnessed transformations in men’s lives, but that has been a recurring theme since my first Kairos walk in 2015. The changes at the prison itself are a newer revelation.

Many may recall the violence in late 2019 and early 2020 at Parchman. Pictures were shared on social media showing horrific incidents as prisoners were murdered amid riots and prison officials lost control of some units. The pictures taken by inmates on phones they were not supposed to have also showed the abhorrent conditions inside the cells. The images were strong and it was hard to believe conditions like that existed anywhere in our country.

Meals were contaminated with cockroaches, rat feces and bird droppings. Plumbing issues were horrid. There were frequent lockdowns, punishing all prisoners if a problem occurred and low morale led to intense violence.

That all changed starting in May, 2020, when Burl Cain was appointed commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. Cain has hired good people to run Parchman and pushed out longtime prison workers who manipulated the system for their own gain.

At Parchman, Cain hired Marc McClure as superintendent. McClure has worked hard to rid the farm from gang control. There are incentives offered for good behavior, fathers may get to see their children for several hours during a family day. Workforce training is offered along with educational opportunities.

Much of this effort helps prepare inmates for life after they are released as the attitude has shifted from a punitive environment to one of rehabilitation. This effort saves the taxpayers money by reducing the recidivism rate for the men who serve their time and are released.

Don’t get me wrong, these guys are still serving hard time and Parchman is not a picnic. But the guys there who act right are offered opportunities to help change the trajectory of their lives.

Boosting morale has been important in the aftermath of the violence in the prison and little things matter. It may be as simple as a small service in a chapel before a body is lowered into the ground in a wooden box. You would be surprised at the number of elderly men housed in Parchman who are approaching death’s door.

There has been an increased focus on sports including basketball, boxing, flag football and softball. These activities are incentives for good behavior as the participants must be able to pass drug tests. An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.

The little things can be as a simple as a chicken sandwich. Lance Reed, owner/operator of the Chick-fil-A in Oxford, fed almost 2,500 inmates a Chick-fil-A sandwich and waffle fries earlier this year. Reed’s Chick-fil-A food truck was set up on the grounds for the massive undertaking, an effort that was orchestrated by Water Valley resident Jeremy Sartain.

Jeremy, also known as Soul Train, works for Reed and pitched the idea to his boss and Superintendent McClure and they made it happen. The chicken sandwiches were such a hit that Jeremy is a celebrity in Parchman. Guys from across the farm know him as the Chick-fil-A guy, and are looking forward to another round of sandwiches later this year.

There has also been an increased emphasis for faith-based programs with strong support from Superintendent McClure and Commissioner Cain. This has been the biggest catalyst in the transformation at Parchman. Churches are active in every unit on the farm.

The partnership with the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary that started in 2005 has been expanded with larger enrollment. Prisoners earn associate and bachelor’s degrees in Christian ministry through the fully accredited Faith-Based Initiative Program. The classes are held in Parchman and graduates are trained to serve as Field Ministers and help chaplains in the spiritual development of inmates.

A new chapel was constructed in Unit 30 and services are held seven days a week. The chapel opening was celebrated in February. Jim Cymbala, pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York was the speaker and members of the famous Tabernacle choir were the singers at the opening ceremony.

There are so many stories about the transformation and I will close with this. Last weekend, I talked to many inmates who told me that for the first time in their lives they experienced true freedom after they were locked up. They have been freed from the bondage of the sin nature that we are all born with and are now in Christ.

Friends, I can tell you there is a true revival underway at Parchman.

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