The ACLU of Mississippi, along with the Mississippi Center for Justice, Hogan Lovells law firm, and attorney Mark Whitburn of Austin, Texas, filed a class-action lawsuit against two of Mississippi’s largest prisons for their inadequate response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The two prisons—Central Mississippi Correctional Facility (CMFC) and South Mississippi Correctional Institute (SMCI)—together house approximately 6,000 women and men.
The lawsuit alleges that CMCF and SMCI have not implemented basic COVID-19 pandemic response protocols, including insufficient cleaning supplies, information about COVID-19, and social distancing. Soon after filing the case, the parties negotiated a settlement under which CMCF and SMCI would implement additional protocols and safety measures to ensure everyone in these facilities remained protected from COVID-19.
