In court papers Saturday, Austin wrote that he was inside Parchman to interview inmates Friday. “At approximately 2:00 p.m., I heard a Mississippi State Trooper tell the Unit 29 lobby Correctional Officer that he had just ‘cut one down,’” Austin wrote. At least 15 inmates have died in Mississippi prisons since late December, most of them at Parchman. A Department of Corrections statement said the other hanging appeared to be a suicide. Violence is a recurring problem in Mississippi prisons, where many jobs for guards are unfilled.

Source: thestar February 03, 2020 21:00 UTC