Ex-Louisiana warden chosen to lead Mississippi prisons

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Gov. Tate Reeves says he is nominating a former warden of Louisiana’s Angola prison to become the new corrections commissioner in Mississippi.

If confirmed, Burl Cain would take charge of a prison system that is under federal investigation and has struggled for years with tight budgets, short staffing and shoddy living conditions.

Cain must be confirmed as corrections commissioner by the Mississippi Senate.

He would replace former state Rep. Tommy Taylor, who has been acting commissioner since shortly after Reeves became governor in January.

Reeves said Cain was chosen after a nationwide search, and he was a success story at Angola.

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