Thread: Let’s be honest about Parchman and other prisons in Mississippi. Most people simply don’t care about conditions and corruption. Cedric Willis, a falsely accused man released after years there told us the realities back in 2006: m.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2006/jul/… 
2. all the political posturing about gangs being responsible is dumb bullshit. Cedric explained in 2006, as have @BennyIvey1 and others have told me since, that prisoners must split into “brotherhoods” for protection and survival especially since many guards are dirty. Cedric:
3. More Cedric on guards’ abuse at Parchman:
4. Years back, BennyIvey1 was beat into a gang in the Rankin County jail while guards did nothing. That, in turn, helped keep him alive in prison because that is his system allowed to run: m.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2018/jun/…
5. Don’t forget that prisons, including privates, are major source of power and profit in Mississippi, which former Gov. Haley Barbour helped solidly. A major journalism figure and advisers, #CharlesOverby, long on board of CoreCivic: m.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2019/dec/…
6. Reporting on Mississippi’s broken prisons should reveal all who have contributed, profited and ignored prison conditions. This is systemic and historic and widely accepted among Mississippians regardless of party. All #msprisons reporting needs to include who profits, decides.
7. Giving contracts to private #msprisons and jails means less money allotted to public ones. This piece unpacks that money-transfer complication: m.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2018/apr/…
8. Note that State is responsible for how private #msprisons are run, but underfunded. This piece unpacks this problem: m.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2018/mar/…
9. Another piece about State funding private #msprisons and contracts—which transfers public dollars away from public prisons: m.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2018/mar/…
10. You can’t talk about conditions in any public #msprisons without acknowledging (or reporting) effects of private-prison industry. Here’s our 2012 story about CCA/CoreCivic’s Adams County facility (now benefitting from ICE detainees): m.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2012/jun/…
11. It’s impossible to unpack conditions in #msprisons without including both media boosterism + selective omission. Natchez paper demanded private prisons; reporter who wrote piece for us now at outlet sharing board member w CoreCivic and $ from Barbour. m.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2012/jun/…
12. @ashtonpittman reported last August that feds are using CCA/CoreCivic’s Adams County facility to lock up refugees, including context on earlier “riot.” #msprisons m.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2019/aug/…
13. With State blaming broken #msprisons on “gangs,” recall that during most of Phil Bryant’s tenure as gov and Reeves as lt gov, all prosecuted under gang law were black even as elected officials pushed for stronger gang law citing large # of white gangs: m.jacksonfreepress.com/gangs/
14. Also: I’m sick and tired of hearing officials tout minimal “reentry” reforms for political points while not giving damn what conditions humans (even there for addiction) locked in or how to prevent violence in first place without making worse. More: Jfp.ms/preventingviol…
15. We’ve done homework, reported truth to power, connected the dots and vetted violence solutions for many years. Mississippians and leaders need to show concern about humans of all races, band together and demand change at every level, from prisons to media influence #msprisons
16. State Dems haven’t had backbone to take this on (hell, GOP “winning” on “reentry”), but guess what? They lose anyway. It’s time to study+embrace evidence-based solutions. We’re tiny and done this work for years. Our efforts often ignored, then PANIC when crisis. #msprisons
17. We had Dem gov nominee who supported firing squads, for God’s sake, in state with history of railroading, convicting innocent black men (probably white ones). Is it possible to grow up, study evidence, stop treating accused like animals? Again, Cedric: m.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2006/jul/…
18. For those who don’t know, my friend Cedric Willis was shot to death after spending 12 brutal years in Parchman (mostly) after being framed for murder: m.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2019/jul/…
19. The supposed immediate answer to homicide of US attorney(who led #msiceraids) here working with “radical” #jxn mayor are “task forces” like #projecteject to send more people to #msprisons, even though seeeps, etc, can make violence worse. WTF.
*sweeps
20. Plus, near-blackout on excellent solution-based BOTEC study of #jxncrime that cost state half million $ bc critiques way state, leader, schools, public, media approach violence. Gangs: #http://botecanalysis.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Hinds-County-Gang-Assessment-FINAL.pdf
21. BOTEC on schools, discipline: botecanalysis.com/wp-content/upl…
22. BOTEC on early-warning precursors to violence. This one is vital. We could prevent so much violence if we just fucking would: botecanalysis.com/wp-content/upl…
23. Pardon my language, Mississippi. I’m tired of the cradle-to-prison pipeline in our state and lack of will and courage to change it. Speaking of: case-processing times and pretrial lockups for years as officials get paid will increase violence. BOTEC 4: botecanalysis.com/wp-content/upl…
24. BTW, lack of transparency and ability to vet and report #msprisons conditions and confirm reports of violence allows coverups. Figures in a state where elected leaders are afraid to do interviews & demand written ?s staff can answer for them like they’re helpless children. 🤦🏼♀️
25. Realized this tweet about MDOC corruption fits in this thread too:
