Advertisement

Justice Department: 2 Mississippi jails violated constitutional rights of inmates

By Danielle Haynes

WASHINGTON, May 22 (UPI) -- Two jails in Mississippi routinely failed to provide prisoners with reasonable safety from violence, housed them in filthy conditions and often kept them in custody long after their court-ordered release dates, a report from the Department of Justice found.

The Hinds County Adult Detention Center in Raymond, Miss., and the Jackson City Detention Center in Jackson, Miss., violated the constitutional rights of its prisoners, the federal review found.

Advertisement

The Justice Department's review was sparked by ongoing violence at the jails.

"These incidents include at least three major riots, two alleged homicides, and numerous assaults on prisoners and staff members," the report, released Thursday, said. "They required closing entire housing units and transferring prisoners to other jurisdictions, where they were difficult to locate by defense attorneys and court officials."

Not only are the jails understaffed -- the Raymond facility has an 80 percent vacancy rate, the Jackson facility is at 50 percent -- but they're also underqualified.

"Without adequate staffing, the jail cannot supervise prisoners, deter violence or properly respond to emergencies," the report said.

The report outlined some of the jails' more egregious offenses.

Advertisement

In one instance, a 13-year-old boy was imprisoned for 70 days beyond his court-ordered released date. Another prisoner was found to have been kept in his cell for three weeks without proper plumbing. The report called the conditions of his cell "horrible."

"The cell stank, and the floor toilet was clogged with urine-soaked blankets and cloth," it said.

In January 2014, one prisoner was attacked by 10 other prisoners with a broken broom for 30 minutes while an officer had to wait for a door to be opened so he could intervene.

There was also evidence of officer-on-inmate violence. In one case, an officer ordered a dog to bite a prisoner in an otherwise non-violence encounter. The prisoner had refused to obey an order. There was no subsequent investigation or action taken to correct the officers' potential misuse of force, the report said.

The Justice Department ordered the jails to add additional qualified staff and institute improvements to the facilities to enhance safety features. The institutions must also cease long-term lockdowns and the confinement of prisoners in unsanitary cells, and the processing of prisoners needs to be more efficient to prevent to unnecessary detention.

The two facilities were given seven weeks to institute reforms to fix the problems.

Advertisement

Latest Headlines