Legal group seeks federal inquiry into Mississippi prisons

By JEFF AMY and EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Prisoner advocates are calling on the federal government to investigate Mississippi’s prison system for possible civil rights violations.

They say five deaths in recent days highlights deliberate violations of inmates’ constitutional rights.

A formal letter and protest at the Mississippi Capitol came Tuesday as the mother of one slain inmate said she’s still waiting on an official explanation of how her son died.

The deaths and violence have focused attention on a prison system that fills only half its guard posts.

The letter requesting an investigation says violence is “directly linked to acute understaffing” and funding has declined.