WLOX-TV and WLOX.com - The News for South MississippiFormer Parchman Warden Takes Over Harrison County Jail

Former Parchman Warden Takes Over Harrison County Jail

There's a new warden at the Harrison County Jail. Don Cabana is the former warden at the Mississippi State Penitentiary, also known as Parchman Farm.

The leadership change was made Friday morning by Sheriff George Payne.

The move comes as the jail is under investigation for the death of Jessie Lee Williams. Williams died after he was beaten while in jail custody in February. His family has sued the Sheriff's Department.

Just last week, a former jailer pleaded guilty to charges related to Williams death. That jailer is cooperating with authorities. 

Don Cabana replaces warden Diane Gatson Riley, who's been the warden since 1999.

Riley, Sheriff Payne and several deputies are named in a multi-million dollar lawsuit filed by the Williams Family. 

Donald Cabana has a long history in corrections in Mississippi. He served for five years as the warden at Parchman in the 1980s. He also served as the Acting Commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Corrections from 1986 to 1987.

Cabana detailed his experiences at Parchman in a 1996 memoir, Death at Midnight: The Confession of an Executioner.

After leaving Parchman, Cabana served as the Chair of the Criminal Justice Department at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. He also spent time as an anti-death penalty speaker.

He left USM on May 1, 2004 to work again at Parchman as Superintendent. Cabana has also worked as a warden in other facilities in Mississippi, as well as in Missouri and Florida.