The Mississippi Department of Corrections recognized the first graduating class of The Haven during a recent ceremony at the Mississippi Correctional Institute for Women, honoring 23 incarcerated women who completed the program’s initial phase.
The Haven is a peer-developed residential rehabilitation program created by incarcerated women to support others working toward personal growth and recovery. Officials said the program focuses on addiction, unhealthy relationships and personal accountability and is designed to encourage long-term change.
The program is structured in three phases. The first cohort completed Phase One: Refuge, which included coursework on emotional awareness, forgiveness, identity, recovery principles, life skills, codependency and self-discovery. Participants live together in a shared unit where they attend classes, share meals and support one another through peer accountability.
Dr. Beth Masters, chaplain and facilitator of The Haven, said participants showed substantial commitment. “You have chosen to work on yourself for a season, and that is what it takes,” she said. Masters said graduates received certificates of completion for 11 in-person classes and were asked to complete additional classes on tablets. Several participants also received sobriety chips marking recovery milestones.
Graduate Whitney Hixson, who has been granted parole, said The Haven was a turning point that provided a structured, supportive environment to reflect and develop healthier coping strategies. An inmate facilitator said the program aims to equip women for life inside and after incarceration. Katrina Reid, superintendent of the Mississippi Correctional Institute for Women, praised the graduates’ efforts. “Recovery is a journey of a thousand steps, and today you took a significant one,” she said. This is a developing story and will be updated as more details emerge.
