5 Takeaways From Our Investigation Into How Mississippi Counties Jail People for Mental Illness

by Isabelle Taft, Mississippi Today in partnership with ProPublica, January 16, 2024

(This story is an example of how journalist use public records to keep the public informed.) 

An investigation by Mississippi Today and ProPublica found that people awaiting mental health treatment were jailed without criminal charges at least 2,000 times from 2019 to 2022, with some dying in custody. ProPublica filed more than 100 public records requests and reviewed lawsuits and Mississippi Bureau of Investigation reports on jail deaths.

“We spoke to more than a dozen Mississippians who were jailed without criminal charges as they went through the civil commitment process. They wore jail scrubs and were often shackled as they moved through the jail. They were frequently unable to access prescribed psychiatric medications, much less therapy or other treatment. They had no idea how long they would be jailed, because they could get out only when a treatment bed became available. They were often housed alongside people facing criminal charges. One jail doctor told us that people going through the commitment process were vulnerable to assault and theft of their snacks and personal items.”