Authorities investigate 15th inmate death at Mississippi state prison
A 15th inmate has died in Mississippi state prison since near the end of last year. Photo courtesy of Mississippi Department of Corrections/Twitter
Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Authorities are investigating the 15th inmate death in a Mississippi state prison since late December.
Officials found Jesus Garcia, 39, lying in his cell unresponsive Saturday at Wilkinson County Correctional Facility, spokesperson Issa Arnita, of Management and Training Corp., the company that runs the prison, told The Hill in a statement.
Garcia was pronounced dead at 12:52 p.m. after life-saving efforts were unsuccessful.
"The cause and manner of death are under investigation," Arnita told the Hill. "There were no obvious signs of assault."
Garcia was serving a 20-year sentence for capital rape in a DeSoto County case, the Clarion Ledger reported.
His death marks the 15th inmate to die in a state prison since Dec. 29 and the fifth in little more than a week.
Two inmates, Nora Ducksworth and Jermaine Tyler, died at Marshall County Correctional Facility.
RELATED 2 inmates killed during fight in Mississippi prison
Ducksworth's death remains under investigation though initial signs showed the death was due to natural causes. Tyler's death showed "no initial signs of foul play," according to MTC.
One inmate, Joshua Norman, was found hanging in a one-man cell at Parchman, and another inmate, Limarion Reaves collapsed while talking to a relative on a facility phone at Kemper-Neshoba Regional Correctional Facility and was pronounced dead later at a local hospital, according to a release.
On Jan. 27, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves vowed to close Parchman's Unit 29 cell block after the ninth inmate death in a month there.
RELATED Mississippi authorities apprehend escaped inmate, one still at large
On Jan. 7, the South Poverty Law Center asked the Department of Justice to investigate the conditions in the state prison after five inmates died in 10 days.
Also, in early January, entertainment mogul Jay-Z filed a lawsuit on behalf of 29 state inmates who say authorities have done nothing to stem the violence.
Corrections officials previously attributed some of the deaths to gang violence and officials have said lack of funding prevents them from addressing problems.
Last week state lawmakers began to introduce legislation to address violence and living conditions.
"We need to get started as quickly as possible," House Corrections Chairman Kevin Horan, I-Grenada, said.
A group of sheriffs proposed taking medium-threat prisoners to regional jails to take pressure off state facilities. They said the plan could save $22.5 million because it costs about $14 more to house each inmate daily in a state-run facility compared to a county-managed one.
Mississippi governor calls for closing prison cell block after 9th death
ByDaniel Uria
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves on Monday called for the closure of the
Ducksworth's death remains under investigation though initial signs showed the death was due to natural causes. Tyler's death showed "no initial signs of foul play," according to MTC.
One inmate, Joshua Norman, was found hanging in a one-man cell at Parchman, and another inmate, Limarion Reaves collapsed while talking to a relative on a facility phone at Kemper-Neshoba Regional Correctional Facility and was pronounced dead later at a local hospital, according to a release.
On Jan. 27, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves vowed to close Parchman's Unit 29 cell block after the ninth inmate death in a month there.
RELATED Mississippi authorities apprehend escaped inmate, one still at large
On Jan. 7, the South Poverty Law Center asked the Department of Justice to investigate the conditions in the state prison after five inmates died in 10 days.
Also, in early January, entertainment mogul Jay-Z filed a lawsuit on behalf of 29 state inmates who say authorities have done nothing to stem the violence.
Corrections officials previously attributed some of the deaths to gang violence and officials have said lack of funding prevents them from addressing problems.
Last week state lawmakers began to introduce legislation to address violence and living conditions.
"We need to get started as quickly as possible," House Corrections Chairman Kevin Horan, I-Grenada, said.
A group of sheriffs proposed taking medium-threat prisoners to regional jails to take pressure off state facilities. They said the plan could save $22.5 million because it costs about $14 more to house each inmate daily in a state-run facility compared to a county-managed one.
Mississippi governor calls for closing prison cell block after 9th death
PRISON INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
ByDaniel Uria
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves on Monday called for the closure of the
Mississippi State Penitentiary's Unit 29 cell block after nine inmates
have died in a month.
Photo courtesy Mississippi Department of Corrections/Twitter
Jan. 27 (UPI) -- Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves vowed to close the Mississippi State Penitentiary's Unit 29 cell block after the ninth death of an inmate in a month.
During his State of the State address on Monday evening, Reeves ordered the closing of the cell block in the prison known as Parchman where nine inmates have died since Dec. 29.
"I have instructed the Mississippi Department of Corrections to begin necessary work to start closing Parchman's most notorious unit, Unit 29," Reeves said. "I've seen enough. We have to turn the page. This is the first step and I have asked the department to begin the preparations to make it happen safely, justly and quickly."
On Sunday, the Mississippi Department of Corrections said 26-year-old inmate Joshua Norman was found dead in his one-man cell.
"No foul play is suspected, according to the Sunflower County Coroner as an ongoing investigation continues and the official cause and manner of death are pending autopsy results," the department said.
Earlier this month, entertainment mogul Jay-Z filed a lawsuit on behalf of 29 inmates in the state penal system who say authorities have done nothing to stem violence inside prison walls.
The suit names Mississippi corrections chief Pelicia Hall and Parchman Penitentiary Superintendent Marshal Turner as defendants and cites violations of Eighth Amendment rights and identifies conditions within the Parchman facility.
Jan. 27 (UPI) -- Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves vowed to close the Mississippi State Penitentiary's Unit 29 cell block after the ninth death of an inmate in a month.
During his State of the State address on Monday evening, Reeves ordered the closing of the cell block in the prison known as Parchman where nine inmates have died since Dec. 29.
"I have instructed the Mississippi Department of Corrections to begin necessary work to start closing Parchman's most notorious unit, Unit 29," Reeves said. "I've seen enough. We have to turn the page. This is the first step and I have asked the department to begin the preparations to make it happen safely, justly and quickly."
On Sunday, the Mississippi Department of Corrections said 26-year-old inmate Joshua Norman was found dead in his one-man cell.
"No foul play is suspected, according to the Sunflower County Coroner as an ongoing investigation continues and the official cause and manner of death are pending autopsy results," the department said.
Earlier this month, entertainment mogul Jay-Z filed a lawsuit on behalf of 29 inmates in the state penal system who say authorities have done nothing to stem violence inside prison walls.
The suit names Mississippi corrections chief Pelicia Hall and Parchman Penitentiary Superintendent Marshal Turner as defendants and cites violations of Eighth Amendment rights and identifies conditions within the Parchman facility.
PRISON INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
Two more Mississippi inmates killed in prison:
9 inmates dead in less than a month
Alissa Zhu, Mississippi Clarion Ledger
Two more Mississippi inmates killed in prison:
9 inmates dead in less than a month
Alissa Zhu, Mississippi Clarion Ledger
© Vickie D. King/Courtesy of the Mississippi Department of Corrections In 1900, the Mississippi Legislature appropriated $80,000 to buy the nearly 4,000-acre Parchman Plantation to build a prison in the middle of the Mississippi Delta.
JACKSON, Miss. – Two inmates were killed at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman on Monday night, the Mississippi Department of Corrections announced Tuesday, bringing the death toll at Mississippi prisons up to nine in less than a month.
The most recent deaths appear to be "an isolated incident – not a continuation of the recent retaliatory killings," the department said in a tweet that provided scant information.
On Dec. 29, corrections department officials announced a statewide prison lockdown following a fight at South Mississippi Correctional Institution that left one inmate dead and two others injured. In the following days, riots and fights continued despite the lockdown, leading to four more killings across the state. Some of the violence, officials have said, is gang-related.
The lockdown has since been lifted on all prisons except Parchman, where much of the violence has taken place. Seven men incarcerated at Parchman have died this month, including three who were killed by other inmates, one who died at a hospital of natural causes and one who was found hanging in his cell over the weekend, according to Sunflower County Coroner Heather Burton.
The Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) did not release the names of the men who died Monday and said Parchman's chaplain has reached out to next of kin.
No additional details were provided. MDOC said the agency is investigating and will share more information later.
Burton did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Activists say gangs alone are not to blame for the recent surge of violence. Systemic issues related to repeated budget cuts and chronic understaffing have created an environment for violence to thrive, they say.
Parchman inmates are suing former MDOC commissioner Pelicia Hall and the prison's superintendent Marshal Turner, alleging they have violated prisoners' constitutional rights by subjecting them to cruel and unusual punishment. The incarcerated men are being represented by attorneys working with hip-hop stars Jay-Z and Yo Gotti.
The lawsuit describes unsanitary conditions inside Parchman, including flooding, black mold and a rat infestation. Units go without running water and electricity for days at a time, it alleges.
Follow reporter Alissa Zhu on Twitter @AlissaZhu.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Two more Mississippi inmates killed in prison: 9 inmates dead in less than a month
2 Inmates Killed in Mississippi Prison That Continues to Struggle With Deadly Violence
JACKSON, Miss. – Two inmates were killed at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman on Monday night, the Mississippi Department of Corrections announced Tuesday, bringing the death toll at Mississippi prisons up to nine in less than a month.
The most recent deaths appear to be "an isolated incident – not a continuation of the recent retaliatory killings," the department said in a tweet that provided scant information.
On Dec. 29, corrections department officials announced a statewide prison lockdown following a fight at South Mississippi Correctional Institution that left one inmate dead and two others injured. In the following days, riots and fights continued despite the lockdown, leading to four more killings across the state. Some of the violence, officials have said, is gang-related.
'A recipe for disaster': Democratic lawmakers visit Parchman after deadly violence
Prison crisis: Inmates killed during Mississippi's prison violence: Who are they?
The lockdown has since been lifted on all prisons except Parchman, where much of the violence has taken place. Seven men incarcerated at Parchman have died this month, including three who were killed by other inmates, one who died at a hospital of natural causes and one who was found hanging in his cell over the weekend, according to Sunflower County Coroner Heather Burton.
The Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) did not release the names of the men who died Monday and said Parchman's chaplain has reached out to next of kin.
No additional details were provided. MDOC said the agency is investigating and will share more information later.
Burton did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Activists say gangs alone are not to blame for the recent surge of violence. Systemic issues related to repeated budget cuts and chronic understaffing have created an environment for violence to thrive, they say.
Prison crisis: Jay-Z lawsuit. Deaths. Riots. Gang violence. What you need to know about Mississippi's troubled prisonsU.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson and nearly a dozen civil rights and social justice organizations had requested the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate Mississippi prisons, charging that state leaders have known about the understaffing and "horrific conditions," yet have repeatedly failed to take action.
Parchman inmates are suing former MDOC commissioner Pelicia Hall and the prison's superintendent Marshal Turner, alleging they have violated prisoners' constitutional rights by subjecting them to cruel and unusual punishment. The incarcerated men are being represented by attorneys working with hip-hop stars Jay-Z and Yo Gotti.
The lawsuit describes unsanitary conditions inside Parchman, including flooding, black mold and a rat infestation. Units go without running water and electricity for days at a time, it alleges.
Follow reporter Alissa Zhu on Twitter @AlissaZhu.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Two more Mississippi inmates killed in prison: 9 inmates dead in less than a month
2 Inmates Killed in Mississippi Prison That Continues to Struggle With Deadly Violence
Josiah Bates,Time•January 21, 2020
Two prisoners were killed at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman on Monday night. It’s the latest deadly incident at the prison, which has been dealing with stretches of violence in the past few weeks.
The Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) says an altercation between multiple inmates left Timothy Hudspeth, 35, and another inmate with fatal injuries. The second inmate was not named, pending notification of his family.
“The safety of staff and prisoners at Parchman is our immediate priority, and we are working hard to restore and maintain order,” Interim MDOC Commissioner Tommy Taylor said in a statement sent to TIME. “We believe that the motivation behind this latest altercation is limited to this new tragic set of circumstances. The environment that makes such violence possible must be addressed quickly, and we are committed to making changes to do so.”
Officials at the prison are continuing to investigate the incident. -
Parchman is the same prison that had three deaths from Dec. 29 to Jan. 3. During that same week, two other inmates were killed in separate Mississippi prisons. Two inmates also escaped from Parchman on Jan. 3 and were captured on Jan. 6. That same day, MDOC officials also sent more than 300 prisoners at Parchman to a private facility in Tutwiler, MS for their “safety” amid understaffing at the state penitentiary.
According to the Associated Press, another inmate was found hanging on Saturday night at Parchman. The inmate, Gabriel Carmen, had reportedly been upset and was throwing fecal matter before he died. An autopsy is underway, the AP reported.
More than two dozen inmates sued the state of Mississippi on Jan. 14, and are asserting that the prisons are understaffed, that they’re being forced to live in inhumane conditions and that the prisons are “plagued by violence,” according to AP. Rappers Jay-Z and Yo Gotti are paying their attorneys’ fees, the AP also reported.
MDOC Commissioner Pelicia Hall stepped down from her position last week shortly after Mississippi’s new governor, Tate Reeves, took office. Hall said she is going to work in the private sector and will be advocating for criminal justice reform. Former state lawmaker Tommy Taylor was appointed as Interim Commissioner. Reeves also announced last week that he was forming a group of “diverse, experienced Mississippians” to conduct a nationwide search for a permanent Commissioner, and that he will assign an officer from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations to look into possible criminal misconduct at Parchman.
“We must get to the heart of the problem. And it starts with bringing order to Parchman,” Reeves said in a statement. “We will make progress, day by day, until we have a system that we can trust. It will be a long road, but it starts today.”
Two prisoners were killed at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman on Monday night. It’s the latest deadly incident at the prison, which has been dealing with stretches of violence in the past few weeks.
The Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) says an altercation between multiple inmates left Timothy Hudspeth, 35, and another inmate with fatal injuries. The second inmate was not named, pending notification of his family.
“The safety of staff and prisoners at Parchman is our immediate priority, and we are working hard to restore and maintain order,” Interim MDOC Commissioner Tommy Taylor said in a statement sent to TIME. “We believe that the motivation behind this latest altercation is limited to this new tragic set of circumstances. The environment that makes such violence possible must be addressed quickly, and we are committed to making changes to do so.”
Officials at the prison are continuing to investigate the incident. -
Parchman is the same prison that had three deaths from Dec. 29 to Jan. 3. During that same week, two other inmates were killed in separate Mississippi prisons. Two inmates also escaped from Parchman on Jan. 3 and were captured on Jan. 6. That same day, MDOC officials also sent more than 300 prisoners at Parchman to a private facility in Tutwiler, MS for their “safety” amid understaffing at the state penitentiary.
According to the Associated Press, another inmate was found hanging on Saturday night at Parchman. The inmate, Gabriel Carmen, had reportedly been upset and was throwing fecal matter before he died. An autopsy is underway, the AP reported.
More than two dozen inmates sued the state of Mississippi on Jan. 14, and are asserting that the prisons are understaffed, that they’re being forced to live in inhumane conditions and that the prisons are “plagued by violence,” according to AP. Rappers Jay-Z and Yo Gotti are paying their attorneys’ fees, the AP also reported.
MDOC Commissioner Pelicia Hall stepped down from her position last week shortly after Mississippi’s new governor, Tate Reeves, took office. Hall said she is going to work in the private sector and will be advocating for criminal justice reform. Former state lawmaker Tommy Taylor was appointed as Interim Commissioner. Reeves also announced last week that he was forming a group of “diverse, experienced Mississippians” to conduct a nationwide search for a permanent Commissioner, and that he will assign an officer from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations to look into possible criminal misconduct at Parchman.
“We must get to the heart of the problem. And it starts with bringing order to Parchman,” Reeves said in a statement. “We will make progress, day by day, until we have a system that we can trust. It will be a long road, but it starts today.”
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