In 2020, the number of people who died in custody with the Mississippi Department of Corrections reached triple digits in a prison system that already had one of the nation’s highest prisoner mortality rates.
MDOC reported a record number of deaths in 2020, with 102 inmates dying in state custody, according to Clarion Ledger records. Nearly half of them died at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman.
The year began with an eruption of riots in prisons across the state, which left several inmates dead and dozens injured. The COVID-19 pandemic swept through the vulnerable population behind bars. Lack of access to adequate medical and mental health care and inhumane prison conditions were contributing factors as well, advocates said.
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The riots and deaths prompted the U.S. Department of Justice to launch a civil rights investigation at four Mississippi prisons, including Parchman. The report of the findings, released Wednesday, found numerous violations of inmates’ rights under the Eighth and Fourteenth amendments.
State officials, including Gov. Tate Reeves, have not responded to requests for comment on the Department of Justice’s findings.
The deaths also led Parchman inmates to sue corrections officials, alleging prison conditions amount to cruel and unusual punishment with help from hip-hop stars Jay-Z and Yo Gotti’s philanthropic organization, Team Roc.
Hard time, brutal conditions:A history of Parchman prison
Here is a timeline of events that led up to the Department of Justice’s decision to investigate:
Dec. 29-Jan. 3, 2019: Five inmates were killed and dozens injured within a week at prisons across the state, but primarily at Parchman. Most deaths happened because of what MDOC called gang-related violence. Another three inmates were found hanging in their cells. MDOC put all prisons on lockdown. A fire was set at a unit in Parchman and two inmates escaped before being recaptured. Six weeks later, one of the recaptured inmates died of apparent natural causes.
Dec. 31, 2019: Pelicia Hall announced her resignation as MDOC commissioner, effective Jan. 14, 2020. Hall said she was leaving for a job in the private sector. Her departure coincided with the transition of power from Gov. Phil Bryant to then-Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves. On the same day, Marshall Fisher said he was stepping down as head of Department of Public Safety.
Mississippi prison crisis:Federal officials say state violates Parchman inmates’ rights
Jan. 9, 2020: Up to 375 MDOC inmates were moved from Parchman to a private prison in nearby Tallahatchie County in an effort to prevent further violence.
Jan. 14, 2020: Lawyers working with hip-hop artists Jay-Z and Yo Gotti sued corrections officials on behalf of Parchman inmates. The lawsuit alleges the conditions at Parchman amount to cruel and unusual punishment. The case is still active in federal court.
Jan. 16, 2020: Gov. Tate Reeves announced the appointment of former House Corrections Committee Chairman Tommy Taylor as interim MDOC commissioner until a permanent replacement is found.
Jan. 27, 2020: Reeves announced during his first State of the State address that he ordered the notorious Unit 29 closed at Parchman, adding the problems he saw during a recent tour of the prison were “infuriating.”
Jan. 22-23, 2020: Gov. Tate Reeves visited Parchman and Walnut Grove Correctional Facility.
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Jan. 25, 2020: Several hundred people gathered outside the Mississippi Capitol to protest a state prison system they say is failing to stop people from killing each other and themselves.
Feb. 5, 2020: The U.S. Department of Justice announced the launch of a civil rights investigation into conditions at four prisons — Parchman, South Mississippi Correctional Institution, Central Mississippi Correctional Facility and Wilkinson County Correctional Facility. Officials released findings of the report for Parchman on Wednesday. The other three prisons remain under investigation.
May 21, 2020: Burl Cain, a former warden at Louisiana’s notorious Angola prison, was appointed by Gov. Tate Reeves to take over the Mississippi Department of Corrections. He began a recruiting campaign to fill hundreds of vacant positions and has since implemented several programs to improve the lives of incarcerated individuals.
Mississippi’s prison system has a long and troubled history beginning in 1840, including a civil rights lawsuit that took 40 years to resolve. The accusations cover the gamut with everything from inadequate and inhumane living conditions, overcrowding, forced labor under harsh conditions, racial segregation, poor medical care and use of corporal punishment.
Click here to read more about the overall history of conditions at Mississippi’s prisons.
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