The U.S. Justice Department says a Mississippi prison violated inmates' constitutional rights in numerous ways.
FILE - The front gate of the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman, Miss., is shown Nov. 17, 2021. The U.S. Justice Department says it has found"severe, systemic" problems at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. The department on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, released findings of its two-year investigation of Parchman, which began after an outburst of violence that left some inmates dead and others injured.
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."“Years of MDOC’s deliberate indifference has resulted in serious harm and a substantial risk of serious harm to persons confined at Parchman," the department said.
Clarke said Mississippi officials cooperated with the investigation, and the Justice Department and the state will work on steps to resolve the problems. Violence has been a longstanding problem in Mississippi prisons, where many jobs for guards are unfilled. Officials with the state Department of Corrections have said for years that it is difficult to find people to work as guards because of low pay, long hours and dangerous conditions. The state has increased the pay during the past two years.
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