As prison casualties increase, Parchman looks to make changes
The Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) has frequently been in the news for the past month and not for good reasons.
At the beginning of this month, a numerous deaths occurred at two state prisons, including Parchman and one regional prison.
In a news release by the MDOC earlier this month, former Corrections Commissioner Pelicia E. Hall said, “We are continuing to be vigilant and mindful of the situation. These are trying times for the Mississippi Department of Corrections. It is never a good feeling for a commissioner to receive a call that a life has been lost, especially over senseless acts of violence.”
Videos and photos got out to the public and have caused some concern among citizens; gang-related violence was believed by many citizens to be the cause of these deaths. According to the MDOC, gang-related violence was the cause of some of the major disturbances, but investigations are still ongoing to determine the source of the problem. After these incidents occurred, there was a statewide lockdown on all prisons in order to ensure the safety of the inmates, staff and the public.
“Movement of inmates [was] limited to only emergencies. All available resources are being used to address disturbances occurring around the state. The MDOC is being responsive in investigating the violence,” according to the MDOC’s statement about the lockdowns.
Since these statements have been released, there have been multiple deaths and escapes that have occurred but are believed to not be related to the major disturbance that occurred at the beginning of the month. In order to combat the wake of unrest among the inmates and others, around 375 inmates have been transferred to the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility in Tutwiler, Miss..
“The Tutwiler facility was chosen because it is the only location that can immediately take on this population,” Hall said. “The facility is already operational and sufficiently staffed to manage close custody inmates. The department acted swiftly because of the violence at MSP and a lack of manpower to restore and maintain order. We also cannot staff any other facility.”
However, the MDOC is still seeking housing more than around 625 maximum security inmates that are a part of Unit 29 at Parchman. While there is a vacant Correctional Facility in Leake County, the MDOC can’t move the inmates to that location due to the lack of staff and resources needed to run the facility.
“The agency is experiencing critical understaffing at its three state prisons and needs at least 1,000 more officers for its current facilities. The number of officers has continued to dwindle as the agency’s pay has not kept pace with industry salaries and other professions,” according to a news release made by the MDOC on Jan. 13, 2020.
Before any of these incidents occurred, OHS’s Law Related Education classes, lead by teacher Diala Chaney, had the opportunity to visit Parchman and see the conditions for themselves.
“It was very interesting and not at all what I expected. I felt weird watching them though, almost like they were on display,” junior Cayden Luke said. “The building was in no standards nice, but I was expecting a lot worse. I was shocked to find out the inmates that were not in maximum security were in a singular shared living space, not cells.”
While Luke said that the reality of the prison was not what she expected, she still had an odd feeling after her experience visiting Parchman.
“I cannot put my finger on what made me feel weird after the prison, but the rest of the day was kind of gloomy and eerie,” Luke said.
While Hall had announced her resignation in December 2019 and Tommy Taylor has been named Interim Corrections Commissioner, after these incidents, the search for her successor has caught the attention of Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves. Reeves has put together a group of diverse, experienced Mississippians to assist in the job of finding a new MDOC Commissioner.
In a news release by the Mississippi government on Jan. 16, 2020, Reeves said, “We cannot rush the critical job of finding a new Commissioner for the Department of Corrections. We must get this right for the people of Mississippi. I am turning to my fellow Mississippians to help me in this mission.”
Following his announcement of the group of people tasked with searching for and picking a new Commissioner for the MDOC, Reeves personally took a visit to Parchman with Taylor and Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs.
“Governor Reeves briefed the media on the conditions that he observed and steps that have been taken in the new leadership’s first week on the job to restore immediate order at Parchman, following a recent surge in violence that culminated in several deaths,” a news release by the Mississippi government on Jan. 23, 2020 said.
These incidents have caught the attention of celebrities outside the state of Mississippi. Singers and Rappers Jay Z and Yo Gotti have filed a lawsuit against Pelicia E. Hall as the Commissioner of the MDOC and Marshal Turner as the Superintendent of the Mississippi State Penitentiary on behalf of 29 Parchman inmates.
In the lawsuit’s Preliminary Statement, it states “Plaintiffs’ lives are in peril. Individuals held in Mississippi’s prisons are dying because Mississippi has failed to fund its prisons, resulting in prisons where violence reigns because prisons are understaffed...These deaths are a direct result of Mississippi’s utter disregard for the people it has incarcerated and their constitutional rights.”
As this situation develops, changes are being made in order to prevent a disturbance of this caliber in the future.
“While the department has challenges, keeping staff and the inmates safe is always our priority,” Hall said. “We do not want to see any more loss of life.”