There are allegations that Mississippi prisons are controlled by gangs and inmates are being killed at record rates as a result. Five inmates were killed in the span of one week’s time and several others were injured, reported The Washington Post (WP).
Two other inmates, David May, 42, and Dillion Williams, 27, escaped from prison, but were both eventually captured and remitted back into custody.
According to a report by CBS News, gangs like the Vice Lords and Black Gangster Disciples are thriving in the state’s prison system. The Mississippi Department of Corrections seemed to corroborate this assessment in a statement, writing they “confirmed that some of the major disturbances are gang-related. The identities of the gangs or security threat groups will not be released to the public for security purposes.”
One woman named Angel Taylor spoke about the poorly managed facilities that put her younger brother’s life at risk. “My little brother stabbed, beat up, just in a cell, and then they’re putting him in cells with the rivalry. How could you do that?” Taylor said.
Since the most recent outbreak of the violence and chaos, prison officials have issued a series of press releases to keep the public informed. They claim they are doing all they can to quell the violence.
Listen to GHOGH with Jamarlin Martin | Episode 68: Jamarlin Martin
Jamarlin talks about the recent backlash against Lebron James for not speaking up for Joshua Wong and the violent Hong Kong protestors.
“We are continuing to be vigilant and mindful of the situation,” said Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Pelicia E. Hall said. “These are trying times for the Mississippi Department of Corrections. It is never a good feeling for a commissioner to receive a call that a life has been lost, especially over senseless acts of violence.”
Hall announced her resignation at the end of 2019 and is slated to leave the agency later this month. An attorney by trade, she said she has accepted a position in the private sector. In the meantime, she said safety is her top priority.
“While the department has challenges, keeping staff and the inmates safe is always our priority,” Commissioner Hall said in a statement. “We do not want to see any more loss of life.”
Despite Hall’s remarks, the ACLU and others have accused the State of Mississippi of gross neglect of its prisons. Several lawsuits have been filed over “inhumane” conditions.
“Unfortunately, this is another chapter in what is a history of mismanagement and neglect that have infected the Mississippi prison system for decades,” said Eric Balaban, senior staff counsel at the ACLU’s National Prison Project.
Candace Dobbins’ brother Terrandance Dobbins, 40, was one of the five inmates killed. She told The Associated Press (AP) her brother said he didn’t feel safe at South Mississippi Correctional Institution and she was trying to get him transferred.
“Really the prisoners run the facilities,” Dobbins said. “I know guards have to talk with inmates to keep control of other inmates. … Now they’re going to war.”
