Mississippi governor to close notorious prison unit after string of inmate deaths
JACKSON, Miss. – Gov. Tate Reeves told lawmakers Monday he has ordered the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman's notorious Unit 29 closed, adding the problems he saw during a tour of the prison last week were "infuriating."
"We will do better," Reeves said of the state's prison system, where a dozen inmates have died in recent weeks, including stabbings and suicides. "We will right the wrongs of the past, and we will do everything in our power to protect the dignity of every Mississippi life."
Reeves, a Republican, made the announcement during his first State of the State address outside the Capitol on Monday evening where he also discussed raising teacher pay and improving the state's education system and revealed a plan to cut government red tape and improve government customer service.
Interim Department of Corrections Commissioner Tommy Taylor clarified Reeves' remarks about Unit 29 after the speech, telling reporters not all of the dozen buildings in the unit would be shuttered. Death row, he said, will continue to be located there, suggesting that part of the unit was in decent shape.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/mississippi-governor-to-close-notorious-prison-unit-after-string-of-inmate-deaths/ar-BBZp2YR?li=BBnb7Kz
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