Justice Department finds "severe, systemic" problems in Mississippi prison

Jackson, Mississippi — A Mississippi prison violated inmates' constitutional rights by failing to protect them from violence, failing to meet their mental health needs, failing to take adequate steps for suicide prevention and by relying too much on prolonged solitary confinement, the Justice Department said Wednesday.

The department released findings of its two-year investigation of the state's oldest prison, Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. The probe started after an outburst of violence in late 2019 and early 2020.

"The problems at Parchman are severe, systemic, and exacerbated by serious deficiencies in staffing and supervision," the department said in its report.