"Lawmakers Refused to Increase an Infamous Prison’s Funding. Then, Chaos Erupted."

Stop breaking the law

The entire prison system in this country needs to be revamped. We have to many people in prison that shouldn't be there and the conditions are awful in many.

It’s Mississippi and it’s in the delta in the middle of nowhere. I’m not really surprised tbh.

Like every other publicly funded institution in the delta, the money is probably there but it’s all stolen. The schools here are just as awful

Tap water from the faucets at Parchman

Prisoners are put into buildings that are condemned

Good to see they've made some upgrades.

Inmates described themselves as being prey to prison gangs who control the supply of contraband drugs and weapons, bedding, food and cellphones. Photographs and videos reviewed by the news organizations show the most dangerous inmates, identified by their red-and-white striped uniforms, walking freely outside their cells, with no guards in sight.

Parchman’s descent has put at risk the safety of corrections officers, the investment of hundreds of millions of dollars of Mississippi taxpayer funds and the health of the inmates the state is charged with protecting, the investigation found.

Corrections officials last year failed to fill hundreds of positions available for guards. In a Sept. 6 email obtained by the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting, a correctional officer, Terrence Shaw, told state lawmakers how dangerous it had become working in Unit 29, Parchman’s maximum-security unit.

A building at Unit 29 that should have at least five officers had only two, and some buildings had only one, he wrote. “The National Guard army should have been called in several years ago.”

In 2012, one year after federal oversight ended, six inmates lacked mattresses or bedding in Parchman. Last year, more than 250 did — nearly 8% of the prison’s inmates.

In 2012, a dozen toilets for inmates in the prison didn’t work. Last year, there were 64.

At Parchman today, many inmates are living in darkness. The latest inspection shows at least 300 cells without lights or power — a stark contrast to 2012 when there were no cells without lights or power.

Put them back on work detail in the fields and maintaining public lands.

The money they save the state goes back to upgrade the prison.