Mississippi Prison Acts Prompt ACLU Suit

Unconstitutional standards at a Mississippi prison have spurred legal action.
Although private corporations actually run the prison, MDOC is responsible for making sure that conditions meet constitutional standards.

Understaffed

The East Mississippi Correctional Facility (EMCF) is a violent and dangerously understaffed prison with a large number of attempted suicides and other acts by prisoners to hurt themselves, according to a lawsuit filed by the Americans Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
The legal complaint details 83 pages of abuse by the prison.
Prisoners at EMCF allege they routinely are denied adequate medical and mental care and are subjected to on-going acts of violence. Additionally, they say they are subjected to extreme force, filthy, dangerous conditions, as well as insufficient nutrition, and inhumane solitary confinement.
Gabriel Eber of the ACLU National Prison Project said that the lawsuit was filed after a lengthy investigation.

Assessments

Eber indicated after an assessment made by two correctional health care experts and many attempts to work with the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC). However, MDOC failed or refused to improve conditions, prompting the lawsuit.
Despite the lawsuit, the Mississippi Department of Corrections issued a press release stating, “The fact that MDOC has settled prior litigation with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) shows its willingness to sit at the table to listen, to do what is right, based on the facts.”