Feds find 'severe, systemic' problems in Mississippi prison
A Mississippi prison violated inmates' constitutional rights by failing to protect them from violence, failing to meet their mental health needs, failing to take adequate steps for suicide prevention and by relying too much on prolonged solitary confinement, the U.S. Justice Department said Wednesday.
The department released findings of its two-year investigation of the state's oldest prison, Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. The probe started after an outburst of violence in late 2019 and early 2020.
"The problems at Parchman are severe, systemic, and exacerbated by serious deficiencies in staffing and supervision," the department said in its report.
It said the Mississippi Department of Corrections "has been on notice of these deficiencies for years and failed to take reasonable measures to address the violations, due in part to non-functional accountability or quality assurance measures."
https://www.mpbonline.org/blogs/news/feds-find-severe-systemic-problems-in-mississippi-prison/
