Justice

OPINION: Prison Reform and the State: The Impending Confrontation

The prison-reform rallies held at the Mississippi Capitol on Jan. 24 and Feb. 1, 2020, at the Governor's Mansion are evidence that dubious government-approved rallies don't just happen in "communist" countries.

Judge: Mississippi Parole Officers 'Underpaid & Overworked'

As Mississippi lawmakers seek ways to improve a prison system shaken by recent deadly violence, a related problem is looming: A judge said Tuesday that parole officers are “woefully underpaid and overworked."

Strong Arms of JXN to Hold Non-Violence Event in Grove Park

The Strong Arms of JXN program plans to train community members to canvas neighborhoods with high rates of gun violence in an effort to let them know about resources that exist and that there is a whole community that cares.

OPINION: Granting Clemency One Solution to Mississippi Prison Crisis

"Over the last few weeks, news about the conditions of Mississippi's prison system have exposed the need to see the humanity of people in prison."

Mississippi Inmate Dies After Collapsing at Regional Prison

An autopsy will be done on an inmate who died after he became ill while talking to a relative on the telephone, the Mississippi Department of Corrections said.

'Beaten, Broken, Tired': Prison Protest Draws Families, Activists to Mississippi Capitol

Families mourned the death of their loved ones while in Mississippi Department of Corrections custody and shared their fears for those who are still alive and enduring squalid conditions in a protest outside the State Capitol in downtown Jackson Friday.

Inmate Found Dead at Mississippi Prison

A Mississippi inmate was found dead in his one-man cell, the corrections department said Sunday, the latest fatality in the state's troubled prison system.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Jackson’s Need for a Collaborative ‘Growth Mindset’

"On vexing community issues like violence, we can find and embrace solutions that are evidence-tested in other cities and that make a hell of a lot of sense for Jackson if we bother to get off the mental treadmill."

Causes, Solutions to Gun Violence in Jackson Emerge at MLK Day Forum

Disinvestment in Jackson communities, lax gun-control laws and a failing mental health system—all under the State's purview—all create conditions for violence. So do gentrification, white flight and black flight.

OPINION: Ugly Mississippi Prison Conditions Need Humanitarian Reforms

The era of mass incarceration involves both prison overcrowding and the nature of private prisons, a controversy to which the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman has also been linked.

Coroner: Inmate Dies, Found Hanging at a Mississippi Prison

An inmate at a Mississippi prison that was a focus of recent deadly unrest was found hanging in his cell by two corrections officers over the weekend and pronounced dead, a coroner said Sunday.

State's Payments to CoreCivic for Housing Inmates at Private Prison May Exceed Legal Limits

Mississippi's emergency contract with a private prison corporation to house 375 inmates could exceed legal limits even more than previously known.

OPINION: Pelicia Hall and the Political Emptiness of 'Black Girl Magic'

Many believe "Black Girl Magic" improves on the silences in "black power" and is validly wielded against patriarchy. Columnist Adofo Minka argues that a closer look reveals it is an idea that serves those who seek to rule above society.

12-Year Sentence for Jail Phone is 'Failure,' Justice Says

The Mississippi Supreme Court's confirmation of a 12-year prison sentence for an African American man who carried his mobile phone into a county jail cell is being slammed as a brutal example of racial injustice.

Mississippi Governor: Prison Violence Was a 'Catastrophe'

Mississippi's new governor said Thursday that the state will conduct a nationwide search for a new commissioner to lead a state prison system that's reckoning with what he called a “catastrophe” — a recent outburst of deadly violence and longstanding problems with vacant jobs and damaged facilities.

Ellington