MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Power has been officially restored one of two prisons in the Mississippi Delta that were affected by Saturday morning’s severe weather.
The Mississippi Department of Corrections tweeted power has been restored at the Mississippi State Penitentiary, also known as Parchman Farm.
Generators are no longer needed at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. Power company crews have restored electricity.
— MDOC (@MS_MDOC) January 13, 2020
MDOC said both the state penitentiary and the Bolivar County Regional Correctional Facility lost power and were operating on generators on Sunday afternoon.
375 inmates from Parchman were moved to the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility in Tutwiler.
“We are thankful that no injuries were reported among the staff and inmates,” Commissioner Pelicia E. Hall said in the press release. “There are downed power lines in the entire area so the prisons aren’t the only locations affected. Power is expected to be restored in the area by Tuesday.
The Mississippi Department of Corrections is currently dealing with a number of issues, particularly at Parchman where three inmates were killed after a rash of violence.
Over the last couple of weeks, a total of five inmates have died in Mississippi prisons.
The issues have lead Memphis born rapper Yo Gotti and Team Roc, the philanthropic arm of Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, to threaten Governor Bryant with a lawsuit if the issues within the state prison system were not fixed immediately.
