Second Verses Makes Initial Visit to Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman
Second Verses has entered Mississippi, marking the third state where their programs can be found. The open door to the state comes at the invitation of Burl Cain, the State’s Commissioner of Corrections.
Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman has a notorious past that has been filled with many incidents that still plague the reputation of the prison. Commissioner Cain is working dilligently to change things and replace the past reputation with a renewed focus on rehabilitation and humanity of the inmate. “The powerful transformation underway at Parchman is the perfect setting for the power of music to take hold and influence inmates towards positive changes in their lives,” said Andy Tallent, Executive Director of Second Verses.
Second Verses held songwriting workshops on Death Row, as well as with a combined worship team from various inmate led bands serving churches on the inside.
“There is something very powerful happening here at Parchman. You can see it everywhere you look. You can feel it as you engage with inmates. Yes, it is still prison, but it is evident it is a prison that cares about the inmates entrusted to them. We look forward to a very long partnership here at Parchman serving the men here. This is exactly why we exist as Second Verses. We help those at the intersection of the past and present create a second verse for the future. ”
The initial Second Verses team at Parchman: Frank Davis, Andy Tallent & Micah Bradbury (pictured with Guest House hosts)
“We offer a variety of songwriting programs to incarcerated individuals, as well as formerly incarcerated individuals. Songwriting is a tool that those experiencing incarceration can leverage to help express emotions long kept buried deep within their soul. We have seen the active use of songwriting be the means to facilitate relationship reconciliation between fathers and their children, forgiveness to be asked for and received, and also become a means to process death - as only an incarcerated individual experiences.”