What has been taking place at the Rankin County jail? A New York Times article charges a culture of violence and brutality existed at the detention center under its leadership. The Times and Mississippi Today reported:
For years, guards in a jail outside Jackson terrorized those in their care, according to dozens of people who say they endured, witnessed or participated in violent assaults.
Guards dragged inmates into blind corners, where cameras couldn’t capture acts of violence. They beat people behind closed doors. And they encouraged favored inmates to join in on the brutality. Former inmates and guards said the violence at the Rankin County jail created a culture of fear and was widely accepted by officials as a way of keeping order, an investigation by Mississippi Today and The New York Times has found. More than a dozen former inmates recounted being beaten for nonviolent infractions, like talking back to guards or getting caught with contraband. Many said a special group of inmates, known as trusties, helped guards beat troublemakers, lending fists whenever needed. Sometimes, the jail’s highest-ranking officials instigated the punishments or handed them down themselves, according to former guards and inmates. The Rankin County Sheriff’s Department, which runs the jail, has a documented history of brazen violence. Last year, the Justice Department began investigating the agency for potential civil rights violations after Mississippi Today and The Times revealed that a group of detectives and patrol deputies, some of whom called themselves the “Goon Squad,” had been torturing suspected drug users for nearly 20 years. This portrait of life inside the Rankin County jail is drawn from interviews with more than 70 former inmates. Many of their descriptions of widespread violence are supported by medical records and photographs, as well as incident reports written by guards and a video that shows guards shocking a man with an electrified vest... Over 10 months, reporters examined 69 alleged incidents of violence against inmates at the jail that occurred from 2012 to 2024. They included 21 encounters in which guards documented that they had used force against inmates, and why, in incident reports. These reports are routinely filed whenever guards encounter issues. Their descriptions of violence differed greatly from what inmates said had happened. But in a number of cases, reporters were able to interview eyewitnesses who supported the accounts of the victims. In several cases, medical records corroborated the injuries that inmates described.... Rest of article and video.
Our old friend, Wes Shivers, is mentioned in the article as well.
6 comments:
Is this the same New York Times that, in 1995, reported that according to experts most of the beaches on the East Coast of the U.S. will “be gone in 25 years” due to global warming?
Yes, this is also the same NYT that top two editors and a reporter resigned over made-up quotes, sources, plagiarized material, and false datelines
Whatever it takes to fit the narrative
Easy fix: don't get arrested.
It's just two different locations, i.e. inside Goons and outside Goons, all under the same leader...Bailey.
What a horrible stain on Rankin County. It probably has an impact on business thinking of relocating to the area. Madison County doesn’t have that handicap.
The NYT has never reported on a jail that, in its view, wasn’t corrupt
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