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Successive Corruption Scandal Rocks Mississippi Prison System
by Ed Lyon
"We are the ones who are supposed to be protecting society from the criminals, not be the criminals,” the commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) said at a September 18, 2020 press conference. “So we will not tolerate bad behavior of any kind. …
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More from this issue:
- Inside Trump and Barr’s Last-Minute Killing Spree, by Isaac Arnsdorf
- Sequel: Three Additional Federal Executions Before Trump Left Office, by Chad Marks
- Analysis: Federal Executions in Indiana Became ‘Super-Spreader’ Events, by Derek Gilna
- California Prison System Fined $400,000 For Prisoner Transfers That Sparked Surge in COVID-19, Also Faulted For Easing Restrictions, by Edward Lyon
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- COVID Pandemic: Medical Update, by Michael D. Cohen, MD
- Biden to Phase Out Privately-Run Federal Prisons; Critics Say Plan Too Timid, by Kevin Bliss
- Reuters Investigation: Lamentable Medical Care in Jails and Prisons Exposed During Pandemic, by Casey Bastian
- $300,000 Award for Illinois Prisoner in Sexual Assault Claim, by David Reutter
- Last-Minute DOJ Order Clears Way for Possible Return of Home Confinees to Prison, by Derek Gilna
- Second Circuit Upholds New York Prison Guards’ Federal Criminal Convictions for Assaulting Prisoner, by Matthew Clarke
- Centurion Opts Out of Mississippi Prison Medical Contract, by David Reutter
- A Guide To Finding Housing After Incarceration
- New Surge of COVID Is Spreading “Like Wildfire” in Illinois Prisons, by Brian Dolinar
- Lawsuit Against Pennsylvania County Over Prisoner’s Death in Restraint Chair Settled for $3 Million, by Matthew Clarke
- Arizona Grandmother Sues After Being Jailed and Forced to Drink From Toilet, by Matthew Clarke
- Audits Reveals Problems With Privatized Food Service at Pennsylvania’s Allegheny County Jail, by Jayson Hawkins
- Essay: What Spurred the Rise in Mass Solitary Confinement, by David Reutter
- No Sentence Reduction for Former Pennsylvania Judge Who Was Caging Kids for Kickback Cash, by Matthew Clarke
- Report: Video Courtroom Proceedings Have Negative Impact on Fairness and Access to Justice, by Matthew Clarke
- New Mexico Lawyer Fights to End Solitary Confinement, by Daniel A. Rosen
- Federal Court Orders Body Cams Be Worn by Guards in Effort to Stop Abuse of Disabled at California Prison, by Douglas Ankney
- COVID-19 Pandemic Leads to Founding of Congressional BOP Reform Caucus, by Anthony Accurso
- Arizona Supreme Court Overturns Decision Allowing Special Master to Review Recordings of Jail Phone Calls to Attorney Alleged to be Privileged, by Matthew Clarke
- Greedo Still Influencing From Texas Prison, by Jayson Hawkins
- Federal Judge Dismisses Arizona Woman’s Wrongful Conviction Suit, by Daniel A. Rosen
- Private Medical Contractor Wellpath Pays $4.5 Million in Death of Mentally Ill Jail Detainee After Judge Finds It Destroyed Evidence, by Douglas Ankney
- Victim Compensation and Restorative Justice as Alternatives to Sentencing Enhancements for Hate Crimes, by Douglas Ankney
- Prosecutors Drop Charges Against Florida Prisoner Accused of Assaulting Guard After Video Surfaces, by Kevin Bliss
- Nearly Killed by Dehumanizing Culture of Indifference, Oregon Prisoner Sues for $975,000, by Mark Wilson
- Pay-to-Stay Fees Impoverish Prisoners, Increase Recidivism, by Kevin Bliss
- ICE Detention Facility Deaths Now Highest Since 2005, by Kevin Bliss
- Prisoner Art on Display in New York City Exhibition, by Edward Lyon
- Pardoned Nevada Bank Robber’s Story Creates Hope for Prisoners, by Casey Bastian
- CoreCivic Faces Liability for Wiretap Act Violations in Nevada Case, by David Reutter
- Mentally Ill Oregon Prisoner’s “Needless & Preventable” Death From Flu Complications Nets Record $3 Million Settlement, by Mark Wilson
- Sixth Circuit Orders Michigan District Court to Review Prisoner’s Plea for Compassionate Release, by David Reutter
- Mass Incarceration Fueling Spread of COVID-19 in Local Communities, by Keith Sanders
- California Starts Phase-Out of Most State Juvenile Prisons, but Loophole Allows Two to Remain Open, by Douglas Ankney
- Ohio Supreme Court Orders Department of Rehabilitation and Correction to Revise Calculation of Prisoner’s Sentence, by Matthew Clarke
- Nevada Reduces Share of Prisoners’ Money That Can be Taken for Restitution, by Daniel A. Rosen
- California Sheriff Hid Number of Deaths in Sacramento County Jails, by Kevin Bliss
- As Prisoners Die, Washington Officials Resist Reform, by Mark Wilson
- Pennsylvania Supreme Court Rules Prisoners Can Challenge Deductions Taken From Their Accounts, by David Reutter
- California’s San Quentin and Folsom Prisons Hardest-Hit by COVID-19, by Edward Lyon
- Mississippi Department of Corrections Lifts Smoking Ban at its Prisons, by Keith Sanders
- Minnesota Counties Pay Out More Than $10 Million For Prison and Jail Settlements, by Kevin Bliss
- Second Circuit Court of Appeals Partly Overturns New York District Court, Allows Prisoner’s PREA Violations Claims to Proceed, by David Reutter
- Data: Families of Arizona Prison Guards Suffer High Rates of Domestic Violence, by Edward Lyon
- New Allegations of Abuse and Sexual Assault at Edna Mahan Women’s Prison in New Jersey, by Kevin Bliss
- Federal Court Finds Missouri Parole System Unconstitutional, by Dale Chappell
- Successive Corruption Scandal Rocks Mississippi Prison System, by Edward Lyon
- News in Brief
More from Edward Lyon:
- “There you go, Agent Orange!” Former South Carolina Sheriff Federally Indicted for Assaulting Jail Detainee, May 1, 2024
- Texas Prisons are Fire Traps, July 15, 2023
- The World’s Biggest Prison, July 15, 2023
- U.S. Prisoner Numbers Slowly Declining, June 15, 2023
- Civilian Police With Military Equipment, June 15, 2023
- California Easing Housing Hurdles for Released Prisoners, June 1, 2023
- Warden Ousted from Troubled Alabama Prison After DUI Arrest, May 1, 2023
- $20,000 Settlement for Ohio Prisoner’s Slip-and-Fall Injury, May 1, 2023
- $32,500 Medical Malpractice Award to Ohio Prisoner for Ripped-Out Catheter, May 1, 2023
- New York State’s Veterans Treatment Courts, April 15, 2023
More from these topics:
- Warden Out, Nineteen Guards Administratively Charged in Maryland Prisoner’s Death, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Prison/Jail Murders, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Failure to Protect (Staff).
- At Least Three Guards Charged for Assaulting Two Massachusetts Prisoners, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Assaults on Staff, Wrongful Use of Force.
- Three Detainees Die in Four Days at the Tarrant County Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Wrongful Death, Compassionate Release.
- Ombudsman Report Finds Use of Force Misapplied in Contraband Search, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Failure to Treat, Body Cavity Searches, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas.
- Report Shows Pattern of Sexual Assaults in Santa Clara County Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Corrections Audits, Failure to Protect (General).
- $30,000 Settlement Reached in Virginia Jail Death That Put Richmond Lockup Under State Oversight, Aug. 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Monell Liability.
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Summary Judgment Against Former Illinois Prison Guards Challenging Termination for Violating Use of Force Policy, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Summary Judgment, Employee Litigation, Vagueness/Overbreadth.
- $6.35 Million Paid for Ohio Jail Detainee’s Spinal Cord Injury Caused by Guard, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Malpractice, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Settlements, Wrongful Use of Force.
- San Diego Guard Sentenced for Shoving a Shackled Detainee, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, False Statements/Perjury, Wrongful Use of Force.
- Court Records Reveal Alabama DOC Guard Ignored Stabbed Prisoner, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Medical Misconduct, Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.

