MISSISSIPPI — There’s now a federal investigation into the conditions at four of Mississippi’s prisons.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s investigation is the latest in a long, deadly saga that mainly centers around the Mississippi State Penitentiary, otherwise known as Parchman.
The prisons being investigated are Parchman, the Southern Mississippi Correctional Institute, the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility and the Wilkinson County Correctional Facility.
Officials said the investigation will focus on whether the Mississippi Department of Corrections protected prisoners from physical harm at the hands of other prisoners, and whether there is inadequate suicide prevention.
Since Dec. 15, 2019, 15 inmates have died in Mississippi state prisons, and most of those deaths occurred at Parchman.
WREG is working to find more information about the investigation and its scope. We’ll provide updates as we learn more.
