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An illustration shows an overhead view of a crowd of incarcerated people wearing plain shirts and striped pants. The people are standing with their arms behind their backs while one person, shown with a faded outline, lies on the floor. Between the people are faded blue outlines of other incarcerated people over orange circles.

Mississippi’s Deadly Prisons

Dozens of killings have gone unanswered in the last decade in Mississippi’s prison system. The Marshall Project - Jackson, Mississippi Today, Clarion Ledger, Hattiesburg American and The Mississippi Link exposed the chaos and neglect behind bars.

Juan Bernabeu for The Marshall Project
Jackson
A Mississippi Prison Murder Indictment Was Forgotten for 3 Years — Until a Reporter Called
John Lowe was beaten to death in a prison shower in 2021, but the murder suspect was not served the indictment because of bureaucratic missteps.
A collage shows images of clippings of a court case, a cutout of a male attorney, a gravestone of John Lowe Baker, Jr. and a building with a title that reads “Marshall County Correctional Facility.”
An illustration shows an overhead view of a crowd of incarcerated people wearing plain shirts and striped pants. The people are standing with their arms behind their backs while one person, shown with a faded outline, lies on the floor. Between the people are faded blue outlines of other incarcerated people over orange circles.
Jackson September 11
‘Catastrophic Failures’: Why Dozens of Killings In Mississippi Prisons Go Unanswered
At least 42 incarcerated people have been killed in the last decade. Just six people have been convicted in their deaths.
By , The Marshall Project and Mina Corpuz, Mississippi Today
A photo shows a Black woman with curly hair in a ponytail holding a framed picture while posing for a portrait in front of her home. The framed picture shows her embracing and looking toward her son, a Black man with a plaid shirt and glasses, in front of a green background.
Jackson September 10
New Evidence May Offer Answers to Mother of Son Slain in Mississippi Prison 5 Years Ago
After reports of cell keys being shared and the lights turned off, Denorris Howell was killed in his dark Parchman prison cell.
By Jerry Mitchell, Mississippi Today
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