MDOC; authorize time limited pilot program to test data-driven operational intelligence tools to improve certain department functions.

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To: Corrections;
Appropriations A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Horan

HOUSE BILL NO. 1747

AN ACT TO AUTHORIZE THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS 1
(MDOC) TO CONDUCT A TIME LIMITED PILOT PROJECT UTILIZING ADVANCED 2
DATA ANALYTICS AND DECISION SUPPORT TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE SAFETY, 3
HEALTH OUTCOMES, STAFFING EFFICIENCY AND COMPLIANCE RISK 4
MANAGEMENT; TO AUTHORIZE MDOC TO ADMINISTER A PILOT PROJECT WITH 5
ONE OR MORE QUALIFIED DATA ANALYTICS AND DECISION SUPPORT VENDORS; 6
TO PRESCRIBE THE SCOPE OF WORK FOR THE PILOT; TO REQUIRE MDOC TO 7
PROVIDE CERTAIN ANNUAL REPORTING REGARDING THE PILOT; AND FOR 8
RELATED PURPOSES. 9
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 10
SECTION 1. Legislative findings and purpose. The 11
Legislature finds that: 12
(a) The Mississippi Department of Corrections faces 13
persistent challenges related to staffing shortages, elevated 14
overtime costs, preventable medical emergencies, inmate and staff 15
safety risks, and increased exposure to litigation and compliance 16
actions; 17
(b) Traditional staffing only approaches, while 18
necessary, are costly, slow to deploy, and insufficient on their 19
own to address systemic operational risk, particularly during 20
overnight shifts and high risk periods; 21
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(c) Advances in data analytics and decision support 22
systems now permit correctional agencies to proactively identify 23
health deterioration, behavioral risk escalation, staffing strain, 24
and operational disruptions before they result in emergencies, 25
assaults, suicides, or costly overtime responses; 26
(d) A limited pilot project will allow the State of 27
Mississippi to evaluate whether such technology can act as a force 28
multiplier for existing correctional staff, improve safety 29
outcomes, reduce avoidable costs, and strengthen compliance and 30
defensibility, without increasing headcount. 31
It is the purpose of this act to authorize a structured pilot 32
program to test data driven operational intelligence tools within 33
the Mississippi Department of Corrections, subject to defined 34
scope, oversight, and performance reporting. 35
SECTION 2. Authorization of pilot project. (1) The 36
Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) is authorized to 37
establish and administer a pilot project in partnership with one 38
or more qualified data analytics and decision support vendors. 39
(2) The pilot project shall operate for a period of three 40
(3) fiscal years, beginning July 1, 2026, unless earlier 41
terminated by the Legislature. 42
(3) Participation in the pilot project shall not require the 43
hiring of additional correctional officers or medical staff and 44
shall be designed to support and augment existing personnel. 45
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SECTION 3. Scope of work. The pilot project shall include, 46
at a minimum, the following capabilities and functions: 47
(a) Preventable medical emergency detection that shall 48
include: 49
(i) Early identification of inmates at risk of 50
preventable acute medical emergencies; 51
(ii) Prioritization of interventions to reduce 52
offsite emergency transports and hospitalizations; and 53
(iii) Exclusion of suicide and self harm events 54
from medical cost calculations, which shall be tracked separately. 55
(b) Overtime and staffing efficiency analytics which 56
shall include the following: 57
(i) Identification of patterns contributing to 58
incident driven overtime; 59
(ii) Support for shift level and facility level 60
decision making to reduce forced overtime and emergency staffing 61
backfill; and 62
(iii) Special emphasis on overnight and 63
understaffed shifts. 64
(c) Medicare readiness and transition support which 65
shall include the following: 66
(i) Identification of inmates eligible or near 67
eligible for Medicare or Medicare coordinated coverage; and 68
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(ii) Support for administrative processes that 69
reduce MDOC's medical cost burden through lawful coverage 70
transitions. 71
(d) Operational strain reduction which shall be 72
provided as follows: 73
(i) Monitoring and analysis of system wide 74
disruptions, including lockdowns, emergency reassignments, 75
transport churn, and cascading administrative workload; and 76
(ii) Distinction between overtime costs and 77
broader operational strain impacts. 78
(e) Safety and risk reduction which shall be provided 79
as follows: 80
(i) Identification of behavioral and environmental 81
indicators associated with assaults, suicides, and severe self 82
harm; and 83
(ii) Support for early intervention strategies 84
aimed at reducing high severity incidents. 85
(f) Compliance and litigation risk management shall be 86
provided by: 87
(i) Enhanced documentation, defensibility, and 88
reporting related to health care delivery, incident response, and 89
institutional conditions; and 90
(ii) Reduction of exposure to litigation, 91
regulatory action, and federal intervention. 92
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SECTION 4. Data governance and privacy. (1) All inmate and 93
staff data used in the pilot project shall remain the property of 94
the State of Mississippi. 95
(2) Any vendor participating in the pilot project shall 96
comply with all applicable state and federal privacy, security, 97
and data use requirements, including, but not limited to, HIPAA 98
where applicable. 99
(3) No personally identifiable data may be sold, 100
transferred, or used for purposes unrelated to the pilot project. 101
SECTION 5. Performance measurement and reporting. MDOC 102
shall submit annual reports to the Chairpersons of the House and 103
Senate Corrections Committees, the Chairpersons of the 104
Appropriations Committees, and the Legislative Budget Office, 105
which shall include: 106
(a) Quantified reductions in: 107
(i) Preventable medical emergencies; 108
(ii) Emergency medical transports; 109
(iii) Incident driven overtime hours; and 110
(iv) Assaults, suicides, and severe self-harm 111
events. 112
(b) Estimated cost savings attributable to the pilot 113
project, including: 114
(i) Medical cost avoidance; 115
(ii) Overtime reduction; 116
(iii) Operational strain reduction; 117
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ST: MDOC; authorize time limited pilot program
to test data-driven operational intelligence
tools to improve certain department functions.
(iv) Medicare coverage transitions; and 118
(v) Compliance and litigation risk mitigation. 119
(c) A composite risk and efficiency assessment 120
measuring changes in: 121
(i) Inmate safety; 122
(ii) Staff safety and fatigue; 123
(iii) Operational strain; 124
(iv) Health escalation frequency; and 125
(v) Legal and compliance exposure; 126
(d) An evaluation of whether the pilot project should 127
be: 128
(i) Expanded statewide; 129
(ii) Modified; or 130
(iii) Discontinued upon completion of the pilot 131
term. 132
SECTION 6. Construction and limitation. (1) Nothing in 133
this act shall be construed to: 134
(a) Mandate the permanent procurement of any specific 135
technology; 136
(b) Replace correctional officers or medical staff; or 137
(c) Supersede existing statutory duties of MDOC. 138
(2) This act authorizes a pilot project only, subject to 139
legislative review and reauthorization. 140
SECTION 7. This act shall take effect and be in force from 141
and after its passage. 142