The Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) will reexamine more than two dozen unprosecuted homicides and several undetermined deaths inside state prisons after a major investigation revealed long-standing problems with prison violence and oversight.
Corrections Commissioner Burl Cain announced the review following a collaborative report by The Marshall Project – Jackson, Mississippi Today, The Clarion Ledger, Hattiesburg American, and The Mississippi Link, which found at least 43 prison homicides since 2015, with only eight resulting in convictions.
“We’re revisiting every death since 2015,” Cain said. “There’s no statute of limitations on homicide.”
Journalists’ Findings Prompt Statewide Review
The joint media investigation exposed widespread failures to investigate or prosecute prison killings. Lawmakers have since called for greater transparency and accountability from MDOC.
Rep. Becky Currie, chair of the House Corrections Committee, has asked the state’s Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER) to analyze all prison deaths over the past five years.
“How can we claim prisons are safe if we don’t even know what people are dying of?” Currie said.
Revisiting Old Cases and Strengthening Investigations
Cain said MDOC’s Criminal Investigations Division (CID) — which now employs about 25 investigators — is revisiting all homicides not referred to county prosecutors. Each state prison has its own investigator, with additional staff based at headquarters.
“They’re treating these cases like cold cases,” Cain explained. “We’re going to make sure no stone is left unturned.”
Of the 43 homicides identified by reporters:
- 16 cases resulted in indictments.
- 8 led to guilty pleas.
- 6 indictments remain pending trial.
- 2 cases were dropped due to the suspect’s death or evidence of self-defense.
Cain said that every prison crime, regardless of severity, will now be referred to prosecutors.
“Undetermined” Deaths Also Under Review
In addition to the homicide cases, 21 other deaths since 2015 were ruled “undetermined” by the state medical examiner’s office, meaning the cause could not be classified as natural, accidental, suicide, or homicide.
Cain confirmed these cases will also be revisited. One example includes Richard Weems, whose 2022 death showed signs of blunt-force trauma despite being ruled undetermined.
Ongoing Safety Issues and Staffing Shortages
Advocates say reopening old cases won’t fix the underlying causes of prison violence — especially chronic understaffing and overcrowding.
“This is like closing the barn door after the horse is gone,” said David Fathi, director of the ACLU National Prison Project. “The commissioner must also address why these deaths keep happening.”
According to ACLU data, Mississippi prisons face a “five-alarm emergency” due to dangerously low staffing levels. As of September 2025, about 30% of correctional officer positions remain vacant, despite pay increases that raised the starting salary to $40,392.
Deputy Commissioner Nathan Blevins told lawmakers that such shortages make it impossible to maintain safety.
Examples of Failures in Oversight
Recent cases underscore the consequences of low staffing:
- Ronnie Graham was beaten to death in 2021 at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, but his body wasn’t discovered for at least five hours.
- Jonathan Havard was strangled earlier this year at Wilkinson County Correctional Facility and only found after a parent alerted officials by phone.
Homicides within MDOC facilities in 2025 are already at their highest level since 2020, when gang violence led to at least nine deaths.
New Security Measures and Technology
Cain said the department has taken steps to improve safety by installing surveillance cameras, deploying six drug-sniffing dogs, adding drone detection systems, and upgrading perimeter monitoring to curb the smuggling of drugs and contraband — a major driver of extortion and violence, according to a 2024 U.S. Department of Justice report.
However, advocates warn that without adequate staffing, even advanced technology cannot prevent violence.
Growing Prison Population and High Recidivism
Mississippi’s prison population has surged from 16,800 inmates in late 2021 to over 19,300 in 2025, returning to pre-pandemic levels. Cain attributes this rise to high recidivism rates, with 47% of released inmates returning to prison within three years.
“Recidivism is killing us,” Cain told lawmakers. “If we can make inmates employable, they’re far less likely to come back.
Families Seeking Justice
For families like Janice Wilkins, whose son Denorris Howell was murdered at Parchman Prison in 2020, the renewed investigation offers long-awaited hope.
“It means a whole lot to me,” Wilkins said. “I just want them to look at everything again — and then act.”
