The Dept. of Justice has announced it will review conditions in Mississippi prisons following a spate of 15 inmate deaths in the state over the past 6 weeks. nbcnews.to/2HbdQvi #NBCNewsThreads (1/9)
The investigation will focus on whether the state Dept. of Corrections "adequately protects prisoners from physical harm at the hands of other prisoners." nbcnews.com/news/us-news/f… (2/9)
Keewin Grayer, who served 24 years in Mississippi's state prisons for drug offenses, told @NBCNews that the conditions he experienced on a daily basis were "inhumane," and "well below the standards of any prison in America." nbcnews.com/news/us-news/f… (3/9) 
Grayer, who was released from prison 3 years ago, and served time at one of the 4 facilities where the government plans to investigate, was housed at Unit 29 — an area so plagued by problems that Republican Gov. Reeves has announced he will close it. nbcnews.com/news/us-news/f… (4/9)
Food would contain insects, rodent feces and hair, Grayer says. He went weeks without running water and showers, and prison staff would dangle promises of steak dinners and DVDs to inmates if they cleaned up the filth and mold before an outside agency came in to inspect. (5/9)
"The federal government coming in allows these other officials to see ... just how heinous, corrupt and evil the Dept. of Corrections are down here," Grayer adds, "because it has reached a point of no return if our cry for help ... isn't heard both far and near." (6/9)
Prison reform advocates were relieved to hear the Dept. of Justice's Civil Rights Division will review conditions in Mississippi, and will also examine suicide prevention practices and use of isolation. nbcnews.com/news/us-news/f… (7/9)
But some, including Vanita Gupta, the former head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division under President Obama, say they remain "cautious" about any proposed actions that would reform the prisons under the Trump admin. nbcnews.com/news/us-news/f… (8/9)
Prison reform advocates say it's unusual for the Justice Dept. to look at 4 prisons rather than just one, and indicates how entrenched and immediate the problems remain. nbcnews.com/news/us-news/f… (9/9)
