Locked Down
An Investigation of Mississippi’s Prisons
Mississippi has one of the highest incarceration rates in the United States, and its prison system has long been plagued by accusations of brutality, corruption and abuse. This year, the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting and ProPublica have teamed up to understand why the state’s prisons haven’t gotten better, even after a landmark prison reform law.
Conditions at Mississippi’s Most Notorious Prison Violate the Constitution, DOJ Says
“The problems at Parchman are severe, systemic, and exacerbated by serious deficiencies in staffing and supervision,” the report said.
Justice Dept. Says It Will Investigate Deadly Conditions at Four Mississippi Prisons
The agency’s Civil Rights Division decided to act after a letter from prison reformers citing stories by the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting and ProPublica.
Lawmakers Refused to Increase an Infamous Prison’s Funding. Then, Chaos Erupted.
Understaffed and underfunded, Mississippi’s Parchman prison recently received media attention for its grisly violence, gang control and subhuman living conditions. However, lawmakers have known about these issues for years and have done nothing to fix them.
We Reported on Troubled Prisons. Now, Officials and a Gang Have a Shared Goal: Reform.
Following our reporting, top Republicans and Democrats want to take a closer look at Mississippi’s prison system. Meanwhile, one gang says it has turned in more than 250 weapons to show it’s against violence.
Some of the Country’s Worst Prisons Have Escaped Justice Department Action
Prisons in Alabama are so bad, the Department of Justice said they violate Eighth Amendment protections against cruel and unusual punishment. We found prisons in Mississippi that may be even worse.
Inside The Prison Where Inmates Set Each Other On Fire and Gangs Have More Power Than Guards
At South Mississippi Correctional Institution, inmates have been on perpetual lockdown for seven months and gangs enforce rules. With frequent beatings, burnings and escapes, the prison has become a violent tinderbox.
Trump Hailed This State’s Prison Reforms as a National Model — but the Numbers Reflect a Grim Reality
When Mississippi lawmakers passed prison reform legislation in 2014, they pledged to devote some of the savings to drug rehabilitation, reentry programs and prison alternatives. That hasn’t happened.
Years Ago, I Investigated Mississippi’s Prisons. Here’s Why I’m Doing It Again.
What began as a call from an inmate turned into a yearslong effort to chronicle corruption, gangs, violence and maltreatment inside Mississippi prisons.
What’s Really Going On Inside Mississippi’s Prisons? We Need Your Help to Find Out.
ProPublica and the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting are spending this year reporting on what’s happening behind the walls of the state’s prisons.
