'Please try to help us’: Conversing with Mississippi inmates on a contraband phone
ATLANTA — The cellphone rang once before someone picked up. On the other end was an inmate inside Unit 29 of the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman. “Hello,” he said.
He then handed the phone to another inmate. “They’re treating us like animals,” that inmate said, before passing the phone on yet again. Inmates have used illegal cellphones to capture and transmit images — inmates fighting, broken toilets, holes in prison walls, dangling wires and dead rodents caught in sticky traps — that have come to define the crisis in Mississippi. Many photos were texted to The New York Times.
Gang warfare, decrepit accommodations and a severe shortage of corrections officers has attracted widespread attention and come to dominate the state’s political agenda. Activists and others say the problems are long-standing, but they credit the images with igniting a surge of outrage. Mississippi’s prisons have been rocked by an outbreak of violence and disorder in recent weeks. Five inmates have been killed, including three at Parchman, and many others have been injured. In the chaos, two inmates escaped but were later caught. For several days, all of the prisons were locked down.
Those images catapulted the crisis into public, coming at a pivotal moment as a new legislative session begins and Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, was sworn in on Tuesday.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
My dad's life insurance was my security blanket when he died - Business Insider'As someone who lost a parent prematurely, I know that the untamed grief that comes with loss should not arrive with any additional unsolvable problems'
Read more »
Why I got life insurance, even though I'm young, single, and healthy - Business InsiderRealizing that my own death could create a financial burden for my family members made it clear to me that life insurance is a no-brainer.
Read more »
Box Office: ‘Bad Boys for Life’ Towers Over ‘Dolittle,’ ‘1917’Universal&39;s "Dolittle" and "1917" found out what "Bad Boys" will do when they come for you at the box office. Sony&39;s "Bad Boys for Life," the third entry in the Will Smith and Martin Lawrence-led series, beat expectations and towered over the competition
Read more »
10 Life Changes That Will Actually Make A Difference For The EnvironmentAs wildfires dominate the news, experts suggest some of the best ways you can help the planet and combat climate change.
Read more »
Daniel Radcliffe is forced to take part in real-life videogame in 'Guns Akimbo' trailerhttps://youtu.be/ggxLUtqsouM We're not at Hogwarts anymore! The trailer for Daniel Radcliffe's upcoming action movie Guns Akimbo is here. The movie…
Read more »
'TikTok saved my life,' user says after viewers tipped him off to problem moleA California TikTok user had a mole removed after a dermatologist told him it could have become cancerous.
Read more »