/Civil rights probe into Mississippi prisons officially opened, Justice Department confirms

Civil rights probe into Mississippi prisons officially opened, Justice Department confirms

The federal agency will examine conditions at Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman, South Mississippi Correctional Institution, Leakesville, Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, Pearl, and Wilkinson County Correctional Facility. The Justice Department released a statement Wednesday saying that the investigation would focus on the Mississippi Department of Corrections’ ability to adequately protect prisoners from physical harm by other prisoners at the four prisons. The Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act gives DOJ the power to investigate constitutional rights violations of prisoners. Renae Eze, spokesperson for Governor Trump said that the administration took a keen interest in criminal justice reform. She also expressed gratitude that it cared enough about Mississippi to address this important issue. Tate Reeves sent an email statement. “We look forward to working with them as we continue our investigations and to working together to fix this ship. We are pleased to welcome them on this mission. It will be more beneficial to have many people working together to solve the problem than just a few.” A spokesperson from Mississippi Department of Corrections didn’t immediately respond to inquiries for comment. After the New Year’s Eve violence, which saw many prisoners die, much of the public has been critical of Mississippi’s correctional system. Since Dec. 29, at least 15 people have been killed in state custody. Numerous reports have been circulated about decrepit facilities and staff shortages. Gang activity has also been reported. Many of these allegations center around Parchman. In a letter to DOJ’s Civil Rights Division last month, multiple civil rights groups joined forces with U.S. Rep. Bennie Thomson to call for a federal investigation of Mississippi’s prison system. They argued that Mississippi has failed its duty to protect prisoners from harm, resulting in deaths and serious injuries. Reeves announced a number of changes to Parchman since he took over as governor’s office in January. These included screening correctional officers for gang affiliations and cracking down against contraband cell phones, and the beginning of the closing of Unit 29. The conditions inside Unit 29 at Parchman were so dangerous that the former governor. Phil Bryant was the one who signed a $2.1million contract with CoreCivic to house state prisoners for 90 days. This was his last day in office. Reeves will make the final decision on whether to extend or sign new contracts with private prison companies in order to house state prisoners. Mississippi Today has complete coverage of Mississippi’s prisons. To support this important work, make a regular donation to the Spring Member Drive today.