Burl Cain to Lead Mississippi Department of Corrections

The former warden of the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola is moving east. It was announced yesterday that Burl Cain, the long time warden at the Angola facility, had been hired as the head of Mississippi's Department of Corrections.

While there is no doubt that Cain has experience in the world of prisons. He's got more than 20 years of experience as a prison administrator. There could be questions concerning events that allegedly let to his departure from Angola.

You might recall back in 2016 that Cain abruptly retired just about the time The Advocate began running a series of investigative stories about Cain's private business dealings. Among those dealings was a large real estate deal that appeared to be in direct violation of the Louisiana Department of Corrections policy.

The stories in The Advocate alleged that Cain had improper contact and personal interactions with inmates and their families. Cain insisted at the time that he did nothing wrong but still he tendered his resignation on January 1st of 2016.

State officials in Mississippi are hoping that Cain can help repair Mississippi's penal system. A system that has come under fire in recent years for violence, alleged improprieties, and mismanagement. Christopher Epps who resigned as head of Mississippi's Department of Corrections in 2014 is currently serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for allegedly taking millions of dollars in bribes to award state prison contracts.