Injustice Unveiled: DOJ Exposes Violations in Mississippi Correctional Facilities
Brief Summary of Four-Year DOJ Investigation into MS Prisons
In February 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice opened an investigation under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA) into conditions at the Mississippi State Penitentiary (Parchman), the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility (Central Mississippi), the South Mississippi Correctional Institution (South Mississippi), and the Wilkinson County Correctional Facility (Wilkinson). The Special Litigation Section of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division and the United States’ Attorney’s Offices for the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi jointly conducted this four-year investigation.
In April 2022, the DOJ first reported on its investigation of Parchman and notified MDOC that it: failed to protect incarcerated persons from violence; failed to meet serious mental health needs; failed to take adequate suicide prevention measures; and that its use of prolonged restrictive housing at Parchman posed a risk of serious harm. (The April 2022 DOJ report on Parchman can be found here.)
The investigation of Central Mississippi, South Mississippi, and Wilkinson examined whether MDOC failed to protect persons incarcerated in these three facilities from harm and whether prolonged isolation in restrictive housing units poses a substantial risk of serious harm. Today, the DOJ concluded its investigation and notified MDOC that there is reasonable cause to believe that the conditions at Central Mississippi, South Mississippi, and Wilkinson violate the constitutional rights of the people incarcerated there.
Specifically, the DOJ found that: (1) MDOC fails to protect persons incarcerated at these three facilities from widespread physical violence. This is the result of a failure to adequately supervise the incarcerated population, failure to control the flow of contraband, the failure to adequately investigate incidents of serious harm, as well as poor living conditions. These issues are further exacerbated by chronic understaffing that has allowed gangs to exert improper influence inside the prisons; (2) MDOC uses restrictive housing (aka “segregation”) in a way that exposes incarcerated people to substantial risk of serious physical and psychological harm at Wilkinson and Central Mississippi.
These violations are systemic problems that have been going on for years. Many of the conditions identified at Parchman exist at Central Mississippi, South Mississippi, and Wilkinson as well. Across all these facilities, MDOC does not have enough staff to supervise the population. According to the DOJ, the mismatch between the size of the incarcerated population and the number of security staff means that gangs dominate and control much of prison life. Prison officials then rely on ineffective and overly harsh restrictive housing practices for control. The report detailing the new DOJ findings is available here.
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Read moreTHE PUBLIC DESERVES ANSWERS.
FBI INVESTIGATION INTO KCK
TEAM ROC RECEIVES RECORDS AND DETAILS OF 8 FBI INVESTIGATIONS INTO KANSAS CITY, KANSAS INCLUDING EVIDENCE OF THE LEGACY OF CORRUPTION, CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS & RACISM.
TEAM ROC & MIDWEST INNOCENCE PROJECT FILE NEW LAWSUIT AGAINST THE KCKPD AND UNIFIED GOVERNMENT FOR FAILURE TO DISCLOSE RECORDS RELATING TO POLICE CORRUPTION IN VIOLATION OF KANSAS OPEN RECORDS ACT
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UNITED STATES' MOTION TO FILE PRETRIAL WITNESS LISTS UNDER SEAL
THIS MOTION WAS FILED OUT OF CONCERN THAT PRETRIAL PUBLICATION OF WITNESS LISTS WILL CAUSE IRREPARABLE HARM TO THE VICTIMS, WITNESSES, AND DEFENDANT
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Civil Lawsuit Against Golubski (September 2024)
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JUDGE CROUSE’S MEMORANDUM & ORDER DENYING BOTH OF GOLUBSKI’S MOTIONS TO DISMISS INDICTMENT
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UNITED STATES’ RESPONSE TO GOLUBSKI’S MOTION TO DISMISS INDICTMENT AS BARRED BY THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS
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UNITED STATES’ RESPONSE TO GOLUBSKI’S MOTION TO DISMISS INDICTMENT FOR LACK OF NOTICE AND FAILURE TO STATE AN OFFENSE
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GOLUBSKI’S MOTION TO DISMISS INDICTMENT AS BARRED BY THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS
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GOLUBSKI’S MOTION TO DISMISS INDICTMENT FOR LACK OF NOTICE AND FAILURE TO STATE AN OFFENSE
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UNITED STATES' MOTION TO PERMIT EVIDENCE
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT FILES MOTION FOR AN ORDER PERMITTING ADMISSION OF EVIDENCE CITING THE MULTIPLE ABUSES AT THE HANDS OF FORMER KCKPD DETECTIVE ROGER GOLUBSKI AND THREE OTHER DEFENDANTS. ABUSES INCLUDE INJURING, OPPRESSING, THREATENING, INTIMIDATING, AND HOLDING MINORS IN INVOLUNTARY SERVITUDE AND FORCING THEM TO PERFORM SEXUAL ACTS .
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ROC NATION’S TEAM ROC AND MIDWEST INNOCENCE PROJECT SUBMIT KORA
ROC NATION AND MIDWEST INNOCENCE PROJECT SUBMIT A KORA (KANSAS OPEN RECORD ACT) DEMANDING THE DISCLOSURE OF REQUESTED INFORMATION OF THE KANSAS CITY KANSAS POLICE DEPARTMENT.
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ROGER GOLUBSKI INDICTMENT #2 (NOVEMBER 2022)
FORMER KANSAS CITY, KANSAS, POLICE DEPARTMENT DETECTIVE, ROGER GOLUBSKI, AND THREE OTHERS WERE INDICTED FOR CONSPIRACY TO HOLD YOUNG WOMEN IN INVOLUNTARY SERVITUDE AND FORCING THEM TO PROVIDE SEXUAL SERVICES.
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CIVIL LAWSUIT AGAINST GOLUBSKI (NOVEMBER 2023)
FIVE BLACK WOMEN FILED A LAWSUIT AGAINST ROGER GOLUBSKI, THE UNIFIED GOVERNMENT OF WYANDOTTE COUNTY, 3 FORMER KCKPD POLICE CHIEFS, AND 4 OTHER KCKPD OFFICERS WHO SERVED AS DETECTIVES.
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ROGER GOLUBSKI INDICTMENT #1 (SEPTEMBER 2022)
FORMER KANSAS CITY, KANSAS, POLICE DEPARTMENT DETECTIVE ROGER GOLUBSKI WAS INDICTED FOR 6 COUNTS OF CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS COMMITTING AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ASSAULTS WHILE ACTING UNDER THE COLOR OF LAW.
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OPEN LETTER #2
TEAM ROC PUBLISHES SECOND OPEN LETTER TO DOJ URGING PATTERN-OR-PRACTICE INVESTIGATION INTO KANSAS CITY, KANSAS POLICE DEPARTMENT CORRUPTION.
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U.S. DOJ LETTER
ATTORNEY FOR TEAM ROC PENS LETTER TO U.S. ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL URGING PATTERN-OR-PRACTICE INVESTIGATION INTO KANSAS CITY, KANSAS POLICE DEPARTMENT CORRUPTION.
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OPEN LETTER #1
TEAM ROC PENS OPEN LETTER TO U.S. ATTORNEY’S OFFICE URGING FURTHER INVESTIGATION INTO KANSAS CITY, KANSAS CORRUPTION.
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WRIT OF MANDAMUS
TEAM ROC FILES A WRIT OF MANDAMUS REQUIRING WYANDOTTE COUNTY/KCKPD TO PROVIDE RECORDS OF MISCONDUCT.
Read moreHOW BAD IS IT?
“I HAD TO FLEE KANSAS IN FEAR OF MY LIFE … FOR COOPERATING IN THE INVESTIGATION OF A MURDER OF A … GIRL BEING SEX TRAFFICKED BEFORE SHE WAS KILLED. PLEASE, PLEASE, HELP ME PLEASE.”
“THE CORRUPTION IS NOT ONLY IN OUR POLICE STATION BUT ALL THROUGHOUT THE UNIFIED GOVERNMENT AND THE BOARD OF PUBLIC UTILITIES.”
“IN KANSAS CITY KANSAS THE POLICE FAILED TO CONDUCT A INVESTIGATION AND PUT ME IN JAIL ON HEARSAY AND NO PHYSICAL EVIDENCE…”
“SUPERVISORS ABUSED THEIR POSITION BY MAKING SEXUAL ADVANCES TOWARDS FEMALE DEPUTIES AND CIVILIAN STAFF. THEY USED THEIR POSITION TO INTIMIDATE OTHERS, ESPECIALLY PEOPLE OF COLOR. IT WAS ALSO DIFFICULT TO GO TO WORK WHEN YOUR SUPERVISOR WAS CLEARLY UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL.”
"Report me to who? The police? I am the police.”
“My sister's dead. My cousin's dead. My life has been ruined. The Unified Government, Kansas City, Kansas, did me wrong.”
“...we watched our friends and families die and disappear and without any help, without being able to cry out to anybody…”
“You would think that they were talking about the Mafia. Drugs, murders, trafficking minors and women. Every crime you can think of. That government looked like they supported it. And the police were involved in it. There was no where you could go for refuge from that…”
“When Golubski was asked in a 2020 deposition in a civil suit if he’d ever raped an underage girl in his cop car, or had a lucrative side hustle in drugs and prostitution, or investigated a crime he himself had committed, he invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself. He did that 555 times in a single sitting.”
“Golubski also contends that in 1997 the state of the law did not provide him with ‘fair warning’ that he could be held criminally liable under 18 U.S.C. § 242 when using his badge of authority to engage in kidnapping and/or sexual abuse.”
“...Golubski argued at the [motion to dismiss] hearing . . . that at the time [of the alleged crimes] there was no substantive due process right to avoid being raped or kidnapped by a state actor.”
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PARCHMAN PRISON
DOJ EXPOSES VIOLATIONS IN MISSISSIPPI CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES
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SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT: BRISTER MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
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A&E DOCUMENTARY
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THE DOJ FINDS CONDITIONS AT PARCHMAN PRISON VIOLATE THE 8TH AND 14TH AMENDMENTS TO THE U.S. CONSTITUTION.
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TEAM ROC FILES SECOND LAWSUIT OVER MISSISSIPPI PRISON CONDITIONS
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TEAM ROC SUES PARCHMAN PRISON HEALTH PROVIDER CENTURION
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OPEN LETTER
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TEAM ROC FILES A COMPLAINT ON BEHALF OF 29 INDIVIDUALS INCARCERATED AT PARCHMAN FARM
Read morePRESS COVERAGE
EQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE
BILLBOARD
THE SOURCE
PRISON INSIDER
CLARION LEDGER
CBS NEWS
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EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
“THE LASTING LEGACY OF PARCHMAN FARM, THE PRISON MODELED AFTER A SLAVE PLANTATION”
“INSIDE MISSISSIPPI’S NOTORIOUS PARCHMAN PRISON”
“2020 MAY BE THE 'BLOODIEST YEAR IN RECENT MEMORY' FOR MISSISSIPPI'S STATE PRISONS, BUT THE STATE'S CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM HAS A LONG HISTORY OF RACISM, ABUSE, AND NEGLIGENCE”
“PARCHMAN FARM BLUES: PUSHING FOR PRISON REFORMS AT MISSISSIPPI STATE PENITENTIARY”
“INSIDE THE US PRISON WHERE INMATES 'BEGGED FOR THEIR LIVES' AMID DAYS OF VIOLENCE.”
MISSISSIPPI PRISON REFORM RALLY PHOTO GALLERY
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