Gov. Tate Reeves appoints new parole board chairman

by

Brittany Brown

• Published on January 5, 2022 • Comments

Mississippi Gulf Coast native Jeffery Belk appointed by Gov. Tate Reeves to serve as state parole board chairman.
Photo provided by Jeffery Belk

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Gov. Tate Reeves named a new head of the Mississippi State Parole Board.

Jeffery Belk named Mississippi Parole Board Chairman

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Mississippi Gulf Coast native Jeffery Belk was appointed on the first day of 2022 to lead the parole board. He is stepping into the role after the previous chairman, Steven Pickett, retired in December 2021. Belk lives in Vancleave and has previously served on multiple boards in the state, including the Jackson County Civil Service Commission and the Singing River Hospital System Board of Trustees. Belk said he is looking forward to continuing to serve Mississippians in his new role.

"It gives you an opportunity to help the people of Mississippi. You’ve got folks that are incarcerated that have done their time," Belk said. "They’re eligible for parole and a lot of them are due a second chance for an opportunity to get out, turn their life around and do some good."

Belk said the board has 15 to 20 parole hearings scheduled for Wednesday. In addition to the chairman, there are four other members of the Mississippi State Parole Board: Marlow Stewart, James Cooper, Anthony Smith and Betty Lou Jones. With the exception of Jones, all have joined the board within the past year.