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The Department of Justice (DOJ) has identified significant violations of constitutional rights in three Mississippi prisons, according to a recent 60-page report.
This investigation, conducted by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division and the Mississippi United States Attorney’s Office, scrutinized the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, South Mississippi Correctional Institution, and Wilkinson County Correctional Facility. It concluded that the conditions within these institutions breach the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments concerning cruel and unusual punishment and equal protection for incarcerated populations.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke stated, “Our investigation uncovered chronic, systemic deficiencies that create and perpetuate violent and unsafe environments for people incarcerated at these three Mississippi facilities.” The report highlights a failure by the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) to protect inmates from widespread violence, citing at least 325 assaults or fights at the Central Mississippi facility alone between September 2020 and June 2022. The investigation also revealed that sexual violence and gang activities deepen the unsafe conditions within these prisons. An estimated 20-65% of the population in these facilities is affiliated with gangs, significantly undermining safety and order.
The DOJ’s findings are backed by security footage and detailed reports of incidents, including one where an incarcerated individual died from blunt force trauma after a fight. Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer emphasized, “People living in prisons and jails have a constitutional right to safe and adequate living conditions.”
The report also touches on issues of staffing shortages and the misuse of solitary confinement, which pose substantial risks to the physical and psychological health of those incarcerated. In response to these findings, the DOJ recommends several remedial measures, including improved hiring practices for correctional officers, specialized training for staff investigating sexual abuse allegations, and better access to medical and mental health care for individuals in restrictive housing.
