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JACKSON, MS – Governor Tate Reeves awarded Mississippi Department of Corrections Deputy Commissioner of Institutions, Jeworski “Jay” Mallett, this year’s “Excellence in State Government” award. The governor presented the plaque to Mallett, 41, in the executive press auditorium next to the Governor’s Office.
In giving the award, Governor Reeves said to Deputy Commissioner Mallet, “Because of your leadership, because you are a team player and the fact that you have stepped up in these challenging times, I want you to know from me personally that it’s made a difference. The place we find ourselves today at the Department of Corrections is literally night and day from the place we found it when we came in 11 months ago. And, Jay, you had outstanding competition.”
“Thank you, governor,” replied Deputy Commissioner Mallett, “and thanks to Commissioner Cain, Deputy Commissioner Karei McDonald, and our entire team for all the support. We’re going to continue to improve the Department of Corrections.”
“Jay represents everything that’s good about the Department of Corrections,” said Commissioner Burl Cain. “He’s everywhere, out among all 21 prisons scattered across the state, caring as much for inmates as for staff. I really don’t know when the man sleeps.”
After graduating Alcorn State University, then Delta State University with an MBA, Mallett joined the Mississippi Department of Corrections in 2000, assigned to the maximum security cellblock of Mississippi State Penitentiary, and was Director of Records from 2013 to this year when he became Deputy Commissioner of Institutions. A member of the American Correctional Association, Mallett has worked with several criminal justice agencies across the United States. He is the first MDOC employee to win Mississippi’s Excellence in State Government award.
Added Governor Reeves, “This particular award is important because as we stress the importance of law and order in our state, we must also recognize that those who are incarcerated are human beings as well and we must treat them as such. We believe that the long-term outcomes for everyone will be better if we do just that. The only way that can occur is if we are willing to step up and do the hard things and, Jay, you have been willing to step up and do the hard things.”
The Excellence in Government awards for Mississippi were established in 2012 by the Mississippi State Personnel Board to “recognize state employees who’ve exemplified innovation in public administration at state and local levels and who have demonstrated their commitment to public work.”
“This year’s recipients demonstrate dedication to service, even in the most challenging times,” MSPB Executive Director Kelly Hardwick said. “It is an honor to join Governor Reeves in recognizing these outstanding individuals.”
MageeNews.com is an online news source covering Simpson and surrounding counties as well as the State of Mississippi.
