Parchman riot: 4th inmate killed as violence escalates in prisons across Mississippi

In the five days since Mississippi Department of Corrections officials locked down prisons statewide after an inmate was killed, three more inmates have died and several more have been injured.
Meanwhile, more unrest appears to be brewing at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman, where an inmate was confirmed dead after a warden put out a call for help from law enforcement agencies on Thursday. A fire had been reported at a maximum-security unit.
... The agency announced Thursday that prisons will be kept locked down. Movements of inmates is limited to only emergencies and visitation over the weekend is cancelled, the agency said in a news release
Officials are using "all available resources" to address the violence around the state, the statement said.
On Thursday, Sunflower County Sheriff James Haygood said the warden of Parchman sent out a call for help.
Multiple law enforcement agencies, including MDOC, Mississippi Highway Patrol and surrounding county sheriff departments, responded to the request for assistance, Haygood said.“Everyone they could get,” Haygood said of the response. Haygood said the prison's Unit 30 was on fire, but everything had calmed down by late afternoon. Haygood said an investigation is ongoing and "for now, everything is under control."
"Everything is so peaceful now, but we don’t know about later," Haygood said.

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justabubba said:

not much media activity about this
Parchman riot: 4th inmate killed as MS prison violence escalates

appears gang warfare may have broken out in the mississippi state prison system


makes one question whether the state has lost control of its prison system

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justabubba said:

not much media activity about this
Parchman riot: 4th inmate killed as MS prison violence escalates

appears gang warfare may have broken out in the mississippi state prison system


makes one question whether the state has lost control of its prison system

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gino said:

I used to work in a prison. We used to say that the inmates ALLOWED us to run the prison. All it takes is for the inmates to decide to riot and we've lost. The state doesn't pay for us to CONTROL the system. That would take too many guards and too much money. And the ability to "properly discipline" the inmates.

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When Jay-Z and Yo Gotti told the governor of Mississippi they were considering suing over prison conditions, they weren't making an idle threat.

Attorneys working with the celebrities filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Mississippi prison officials on behalf of 29 inmates.

The federal lawsuit alleges inmates are being kept in unconstitutional and inhumane conditions.
"Plaintiffs' lives are in peril," the lawsuit begins. "Individuals held in Mississippi's prisons are dying because Mississippi has failed to fund its prisons, resulting in prisons where violence reigns because prisons are understaffed. In the past two weeks alone, five men incarcerated in Mississippi have died as the result of prison violence. These deaths are a direct result of Mississippi's utter disregard for the people it has incarcerated and their constitutional rights." ...

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justabubba said:

purportedly only one guard per building per shift. some guards working 24 hours straight
not sure if it is a for profit institution, but if it is, the owners are making a killing ... figuratively and literally

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Hundreds of inmates are being moved from Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman to a private prison in nearby Tallahatchie County after deadly violence in the prison system, the Mississippi Department of Corrections announced Thursday.

Private prison company CoreCivic confirmed that up to 375 MDOC inmates will be immediately housed at the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility in Tutwiler, which has 2,672 beds and also holds detainees for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Gov. Phil Bryant told the Clarion Ledger as many as 1,000 may ultimately be moved there. The governor, who signed an emergency order allowing the inmates to be sent there Jan. 6, said the Tutwiler facility was chosen because of its proximity to Parchman, and because it had enough beds and secure cells.

"It had to be done," Bryant said. "We couldn’t maintain (Unit 32 at Parchman). We don’t have the personnel. It’s not in good enough condition for us to house inmates and say that we can meet their needs. So the only other option is to move them to the private prison.”

The contract between CoreCivic and MDOC has an initial term of 90 days and is expected to cost the state more than $2 million, MDOC said in a statement. The contract can be extended for up to two additional 90-day terms.

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americanwoman said:

Looks like it's state run but what a coincidence, due to the violence many prisoners had to be sent over to the private prison nearby.

Parchman inmates being moved to private prison in Tallahatchie County



2 million for 90 days, not a bad deal for Corecivic - who I remember has a large interest in detaining children as well and more private prisons despite multiple complaints and lawsuits. Good thing Trump is behind them.

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