After more than a week of violence that claimed five lives and injured several others, the lockdown on many of Mississippi’s county jails has been lifted.
But the lockdowns on regional jails and state penitentiaries remain, as officials investigate the causes behind the violent fights that began after Christmas and continued into the first week of 2020.
The second inmate who escaped last week during violent jail riots was captured in Tennessee, according to the Mississippi Department of Corrections. Dillion Williams, 27, and David May, 42, escaped Saturday from the Parchman, Mississippi, state pen.
May was captured Sunday morning, according to authorities, and Williams was apprehended Monday afternoon.
Riots across the Mississippi Department of Corrections facilities began between Christmas and New Year's. Fights between inmates happened at the state pen in Parchman as well as a jail in Chickasaw County.
State lawmakers convened in Jackson for the 2020 legislative session, with prison reform a priority, according to WAPT.
“We need to do something and do something quickly,” said state Sen. John Horhn.
“The only way to fix this is money, period,” said state Sen. Joel Carter. “Mississippi is in great financial shape right now; we just have to be responsible about it. The guards are underpaid, and the pay isn’t worth it. They’re only paid $25,000, and money is always an issue.”
New Gov. Tate Reeves said much work needs to be done to resolve the crisis.
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