Guards at an Infamous Mississippi Jail Mocked a Disabled Detainee
In late November 2025, reporters at Mississippi Today uncovered two videos taken inside the Rankin County jail that showed guards mocking a disabled detainee; just days earlier, the guards had filmed the same detainee being shocked in an electrical vest as punishment for asking for a Coke.
The videos were recorded in 2018 and shared on a WhatsApp group chat. One video features the detainee, Larry Buckhalter, standing in his prison jumpsuit and a birthday hat while singing “Happy Birthday” to “Barry,” a reference to the former head of the jail. In the second video, Buckhalter is prodded to say “I love you, Barry!” as a guard standing behind him slams a plastic sign on the floor. As Buckhalter screams, laughter can be heard off-camera.
When asked for comment, an attorney with the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department claimed that Buckhalter, who died in 2021, was never found to be mentally disabled by a court or doctor. The attorney further added that “these videos perfectly show his genuine affection for the RCSD.”
Relatives of Buckhalter, however, contend that it was obvious he had a mental disability. They also told reporters that Buckhalter was scared to return to the jail. “Everybody knew he had a mental issue,” Buckhalter’s niece said. “And when people find that out, they take advantage of it.”
The videos were leaked by a former RCSD guard who, along with two other guards, said they were filmed inside of the office of Amanda Thompson, a jail lieutenant at the time who is still employed with the department. The appearance of the footage follows a recent investigation by Mississippi Today and The New York Times that revealed how, for years, guards and other jail staff routinely beat detainees, even enlisting them as enforcers in the violence.
Source: Mississippi Today
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