WASHINGTON D.C.
The Justice Department concluded its investigation and found that conditions at Mississippi State Penitentiary, known as Parchman Prison, violated inmates Constitutional Rights, officials announced Wednesday.
Specifically, the department concluded that Mississippi routinely violates the constitutional rights of people incarcerated at Parchman by:
- Failing to provide adequate mental health treatment to people with serious mental health needs.
- Failing to take sufficient suicide prevention measures to protect people at risk of self-harm.
- Subjecting people to prolonged isolation in solitary confinement in egregious conditions that place their physical and mental health at substantial risk of serious harm.
- Failing to protect incarcerated people from violence at the hands of other incarcerated people.
According to the DOJ report: “Our investigation found widespread, largely unchecked, violence against incarcerated persons by other incarcerated persons in Parchman. Numerous MDOC systemic deficiencies foster this pervasive violence and create an unreasonable risk of serious harm to incarcerated persons,” including:
• Gross understaffing that results in inadequate supervision
• Investigations of incidents that are cursory or incomplete
• Insufficient security measures that result in incarcerated persons’ unfettered access to contraband
• Uncontrolled gang activity.
To Read the Entire Report on Parchman Prison, Mississippi, Click Here: DOJ
“Prisons have a constitutional obligation to keep safe the incarcerated persons who depend on them for their basic needs,” said U.S. Attorney Joyner. “Mississippi violated the rights of persons incarcerated at Parchman by failing to keep them safe from physical violence and for failing to provide constitutionally adequate mental health care and that people confined to Parchman experience serious physical and psychological harm as a result. Our office is dedicated to defending the civil rights of all our district’s residents, including those who are incarcerated. We look forward to continuing to work with the Mississippi Department of Corrections to protect the civil rights of those incarcerated at Parchman.”
(February 2020)
“The action taken today by the Department of Justice will ensure that the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman fulfills its constitutional obligations,” said U.S. Attorney LaMarca.
Adding, “those who owe a debt to society should have these basic needs while paying that debt. We are committed to working with state officials to ensure that the State of Mississippi abides by its constitutional obligations.”
The department’s investigation began in February 2020.
Our investigation of conditions at Southern Mississippi Correctional Institution, Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, and Wilkinson County Correctional Facility is ongoing, officials stated.